Swimsuit

8 of the Most Incredible Photos of Leryn Franco in Banff

The athlete took a brief break from training for the 2012 Olympic Games for her SI Swimsuit feature.

Martha Zaytoun

Leryn Franco was photographed by Stephan Wurth in Banff, Canada.

Leryn Franco was photographed by Stephan Wurth in Banff, Canada.

Leryn Franco is known for a lot of things. She is a Paraguayan model, actress and former Olympic athlete, who threw the javelin for her country in the 2004, ’08 and ’12 Olympic Games. But mixed in with those appearances on the highest stage in sports, the athlete took the opportunity to make an apperance in the 2011 SI Swimsuit Issue.

Franco traveled to Banff, Canada with photographer Stephan Wurth for her magazine feature, where she posed among idyllic lakefront scenery in a series of chic black-and-white swimsuits. 

Though she had never worked with SI Swimsuit before, modeling was by no means a novel experience for the athlete. The 41-year-old had participated in several pageants over the years leading up to her SI Swimsuit debut, including the 2006 Miss Universo Paraguay pageant, in which she took second place. She also participated in the Miss Bikini Universe pageant.

Likewise, before making it to the biggest stage in sports, she had a lot of experience throwing the javelin in junior and youth competitions, where she won a handful of medals. Though she never made the podium in the three Olympic games she competed in, her participation spoke to her talent as a track and field athlete.

She retired from the sport in 2014, but continues to pursue athletic endeavors to this day. Below are eight of our favorite photos from her SI Swimsuit debut in Canada.

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Martha Zaytoun
MARTHA ZAYTOUN

Martha Zaytoun is a writer on the Lifestyle and Trending News team for SI Swimsuit. Before joining SI Swimsuit in 2023, she worked on the editorial board of the University of Notre Dame’s student magazine and on the editorial team at Chapel Hill, Durham and Chatham Magazines in North Carolina. When not working, Zaytoun loves to watercolor and oil paint, run and water ski. She is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and a huge Fighting Irish fan.

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