Larissa França

Larissa França Maestrini was born on April 14, 1982, in Cachoeiro de Itapemirim, Brazil. Her athletic journey began with indoor volleyball, and by her late teens, she transitioned to beach volleyball. In 2001, she officially moved to beach volleyball. Her career began to gain significant momentum in 2003 when she teamed with Ana Richa, securing a bronze medal at the Pan American Games in Santo Domingo and notably finishing third in Brazilian domestic team rankings behind established Olympians.

A pivotal period in her career started in 2004 when she partnered with Juliana Felisberta. Together, they achieved remarkable success, becoming FIVB Team of the Year and Tour Champions seven times between 2005 and 2012. Highlights include a gold medal at the 2004 Mallorca event, their first win over Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor in 2005 at the Corona Mexico Open, and setting a FIVB World Tour record for single-season earnings in 2005 with $409,750. They secured gold at the 2011 Beach Volleyball World Championships and a bronze medal at the 2012 London Olympics. After a brief retirement, França returned to the sport in 2014, forming a partnership with Talita Antunes. This new partnership continued her success, resulting in 16 FIVB World Tour gold medals over three and a half seasons, a fourth-place finish at the 2016 Rio Olympics, and a bronze at the 2017 World Championships.

Throughout her career, Larissa França has been recognized for her technical skills, including hand-setting, defense, and cut-shots. She received the FIVB Best Setter award ten times, including every year from 2006 to 2012, and accumulated 19 individual FIVB Player of the Year honors. In 2023, for her contributions and enduring impact, she was inducted into the International Volleyball Hall of Fame. She continues to participate in the AVP Tour in the United States, influencing the next generation of beach volleyball athletes.