Leryn Franco

Leryn Franco is a Paraguayan javelin thrower and model. She placed 42nd in the 2004 Olympics and competed in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China, where she failed to qualify for the finals and finished 51st.Yahoo Sports: Paraguayan heartthrob (August 19, 2008)

Franco has competed in javelin and track since her teenage years in the late 1990s. In 1998, she set her personal record with a mark of 10.94 meters in the Triple Jump.Sports Reference: Leryn Franco Biography Though she won bronze medals in 1999 and 2000 in the javelin throw at the South American Junior Championships, she has failed to be a medal contender on the world stage. She placed 24th at the 2003 World Championships and 42nd at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens.Sports Reference: Leryn Franco Biography BBC Sport: Women's Javelin Throw Results, 2004 Franco failed to qualify for the finals of the 2008 Summer Olympics, finishing second to last.Yahoo Sports: Paraguayan heartthrob (August 19, 2008)

• "Modeling is a way for me to continue with my sport, the hours are flexible, and you can earn good money through photographic modeling and the catwalk."—Leryn FrancoSports by Brooks: Olympians Funding Careers with Their Sex Appeal (August 9, 2008)

Franco is not the only Olympic athlete to find work in front of the camera. U.S. swimmer Amanda Beard posed in the June 2007 issue of Playboy, and four other Olympians posed for the German edition of the magazine: Petra Niemann, Nicole Reinhardt, Romy Tarangul and Katharina Scholz. Brazilian twins Bia and Branca Feres have not only made a name for themselves as synchronized swimmers, but as models as well.