Francie Larrieu

Frances Anne "Francie" Larrieu Smith (November 23, 1952 in Palo Alto, California) is an American track and field athlete. She was the flagbearer at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona for the United States of America. Larrieu Smith was the third female American athlete to make five American Olympic teams, behind the six of fencer Jan York-Romary and Track and Field's Willye White. The feat was later equaled by basketball player Teresa Edwards, track and field's Gail Devers, cyclist/speedskater Chris Witty and swimmer Dara Torres. After one of the longest elite careers on record, she has retired from that level of competition.

She won a World Road Race Championships silver medal at 15 km in 1990. She is also a former world indoor record holder at the mile. She holds the Texas Relays Women's Invitational Record for both the 1,500 meters and 10,000 meters, set in 1983 and 1991, respectively.

Since 1999 she has been a cross country and track coach at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas.

She is the younger sister of the American Olympic distance runner Ron Larrieu. She started running at age 13 and ran for the San Jose Cindergals, one of the first youth track clubs for women. She attended Fremont High School (Sunnyvale, California), graduating in 1970 before any school in California had a women's track team. She attended California State University, Long Beach, and UCLA. Starting with the 1500 meter title in 1970 at age 17, Larrieu won 21 National Championships and set 13 world indoor records and 35 American records in her career. At the U.S./USSR indoor meet in 1975, she ran 4:28.5 for the mile run, indoors, which bettered the standing outdoor World Record at the time. Her still standing 1974 meet record in the Mile at the Mt. SAC Relays has stood for over 40 years.

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