Frances Anne "Francie"Larrieu Smith (born November 23, 1952) is an Americantrack and field athlete. She was theflagbearer at the1992 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 fencerJan York-Romary and Track and Field'sWillye White. The feat was later equaled by basketball playerTeresa Edwards, track and field'sGail Devers, cyclist/speedskaterChris Witty and swimmerDara Torres.[1] After one of the longest elite careers on record, she retired from that level of competition.
She won aWorld Road Race Championships silver medal at 15 km in 1990. Larrieu Smith 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.
From 1999 to 2019, Larrieu Smith was a cross country and track coach atSouthwestern University in Georgetown, Texas.[2]
Smith was born inPalo Alto, California, the younger sister of the American Olympic distance runnerRon Larrieu. She started running at age 13 and ran for the San Jose Cindergals, one of the first youth track clubs for women. She attendedFremont High School inSunnyvale, California, graduating in 1970 before any school in California had a women's track team. She attendedCalifornia State University, Long Beach, andUCLA. 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.[3] At the U.S./USSR indoor meet in 1975, she ran 4:28.5 for themile run, indoors, which bested thestanding outdoor World Record.[4] Her still standing 1974 meet record in themile at theMt. SAC Relays has stood for over 40 years.
Smith has a master's degree in sports administration from theUniversity of Texas.[3] She married Jimmy Smith, a professor of kinesiology, in 1980. They were divorced in 2013.[5]
Larrieu Smith had one of the lengthiest distance running careers, beginning with the1972 Olympics as a 19-year-old running the 1500 metres, then the longest distance race for women, and again in the1976 Olympics. She also qualified for the1980 Summer Olympics but did not participate because of the1980 Summer Olympics boycott. Her best performance was when she finished 5th in theWomen's 10,000 metres in1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul. Her final appearance was finishing 12th in themarathon in the1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona where, as the elder stateswoman of American track and field at age 39, she was selected to be the flagbearer in the opening ceremonies. She was the youngest female 1500 meter runner the U.S. has ever sent to the Olympics and the oldest female in any track and field event.[6]
She was elected into theNational Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1998. She was inducted into theNational Distance Running Hall of Fame in 1999.Runner's World magazine named her "The Most Versatile runner of the Quarter Century".[3] Smith was Inducted into the Texas Trackand Field Coaches Association Hall of Fame, Class of 2017.
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Representing the United States | |||||
| 1972 | Olympic Games | Munich, Germany | semi-final | 1500 m | 4:15.26 |
| 1976 | Olympic Games | Montreal, Canada | semi-final | 1500 m | 4:09.07 |
| 1977 | IAAF World Cup | Düsseldorf, Germany | 2nd | 1500 m | 4:13.0 |
| 1979 | IAAF World Cup | Montreal, Canada | 3rd | 1500 m | 4:09.16 |
| 3rd | 3000 m | 8:53.02 | |||
| 1986 | Houston Marathon | Houston, United States | 2nd | Marathon | 2:33:37 |
| 1987 | World Championships | Rome, Italy | 15th | 10,000 m | 32:30.00 |
| 1988 | Olympic Games | Seoul, South Korea | 5th | 10,000 m | 31:35.52 |
| 1990 | London Marathon | London, United Kingdom | 2nd | Marathon | 2:28:01 |
| World Women's Road Race Championships | Dublin, Ireland | 2nd | 15 km | 50:15 | |
| 1992 | Houston Marathon / US Women's Olympic Trial | Houston, United States | 3rd | Marathon | 2:30:39 |
| Olympic Games | Barcelona, Spain | 12th | Marathon | 2:41:09 | |
| Olympic Games | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Flagbearer for the United States Barcelona 1992 | Succeeded by |
