Lalie Pouzancre-Hoyer: France’s Rising Multi-Event Star
Born: February 11, 2007 | Hometown: Montpellier, France | Events: Heptathlon, 400m Hurdles, Long Jump, 100m Hurdles
At just 18 years old, Lalie Pouzancre-Hoyer has already established herself as one of France’s most promising young multi-event athletes. A European U18 bronze medalist in the 400-meter hurdles and the reigning French U20 heptathlon champion, the Montpellier native has demonstrated a rare combination of versatility, competitiveness, and rapid development that marks her as a name to watch in French athletics for years to come.
Early Years and Athletic Development
Lalie Pouzancre-Hoyer grew up in the southern French city of Montpellier, in the Occitanie region, where she developed her athletic talents under the guidance of her club, Entente Nîmoise Athlétisme (ENA). Athletics appears to run in the family—her older sister Lou-Anne Pouzancre-Hoyer is also an accomplished French track athlete who has competed at the University of New Mexico in the United States, where she has set school records and established herself as one of the top 400-meter runners in the Mountain West Conference. The sisterly connection extends to the track, where both have represented their home club together, including setting a Gard department record in the women’s 4x400m relay.
From an early age, Lalie showed an aptitude not just for single events but for the demanding world of combined events—the heptathlon and pentathlon—which require athletes to master seven and five disciplines respectively. This all-around ability, combined with natural speed and explosive power, made her a standout at the youth level in France.
2024: Breakthrough Season
The 2024 season marked Lalie Pouzancre-Hoyer’s emergence onto the international stage. Competing in the U18 (cadet) age category, she demonstrated her multi-faceted talents with an impressive series of results.
French U18 Heptathlon Champion
At the French U18 Championships held in Toulon in June 2024, Pouzancre-Hoyer captured the national heptathlon title with 5,312 points—a performance that set a new Gard department record and announced her arrival as a serious contender in combined events. The championship performance showcased her abilities across all seven disciplines: the 100-meter hurdles, high jump, shot put, 200 meters, long jump, javelin throw, and 800 meters.
Just weeks earlier, she had won the Occitanie regional heptathlon title with 5,151 points, also a Gard record at the time, demonstrating consistent improvement throughout the season.
Bronze at French U18 Pentathlon
Competing in the indoor pentathlon at the French U18 Championships, Pouzancre-Hoyer claimed bronze with 3,676 points. In a thrilling competition, she entered the final event—the 800 meters—in fifth position and needed a strong finish to secure a medal. Rising to the occasion, she clocked 2:22.12, finishing more than 10 seconds ahead of her nearest competitor in that event and catapulting herself onto the podium.
European U18 Championships: Continental Bronze
The highlight of Pouzancre-Hoyer’s 2024 season came at the European U18 Championships in Banská Bystrica, Slovakia, in July. Representing France in the 400-meter hurdles, she advanced through the heats and semifinal—setting a personal best in the latter—before delivering a gutsy performance in the final.
In a race that came down to the wire, the 17-year-old battled Italian competitor Sofia Copiello stride for stride over the final barriers. Pouzancre-Hoyer held on to claim the bronze medal in 59.07 seconds, just eleven hundredths ahead of Copiello, while setting yet another personal best. The victory was France’s 10th medal of the championships and demonstrated her ability to perform under the pressure of international competition.
The medal-winning performance was particularly noteworthy for an athlete whose primary focus is combined events, showing that she possesses the singular event quality to compete at a high level in individual disciplines.
2025: Stepping Up in Class
Moving up to the U20 (junior) age division in 2025, Pouzancre-Hoyer has not only maintained her trajectory but accelerated it, transitioning clubs to Montpellier A2M to continue her development.
Indoor Season Success
Pouzancre-Hoyer’s 2025 indoor campaign yielded strong results across multiple events. At the Arena Stade Couvert in Liévin, she ran 56.19 seconds in the 400 meters in February—an excellent foundation for her hurdling and combined events aspirations. She also competed at the French U20 Indoor Pentathlon Championships, where she claimed another bronze medal, continuing to build her medal collection in multi-events.
French U20 Heptathlon Champion
The pinnacle of her 2025 domestic season came at the French Combined Events Championships in Laval in July. Competing against France’s best U20 heptathletes, Pouzancre-Hoyer delivered a career-best performance to win the national title.
With 5,531 points—a massive 219-point improvement over her previous best—she not only secured gold but also achieved the qualifying standard for the European U20 Championships. The performance represented the culmination of steady progress, as she had entered the competition just nine points shy of the European qualifying mark but delivered under pressure when it mattered most.
Her individual event highlights from the championship included strong performances in the hurdles and long jump, with the latter yielding a new personal best of 6.17 meters.
European U20 Championships
Having earned her place on the French team for the European U20 Championships in Tampere, Finland, Pouzancre-Hoyer competed in the heptathlon at the continental championship in August 2025. The experience of competing against Europe’s best juniors provided valuable lessons as she continues to develop her all-around abilities.
Personal Bests and Current Rankings
As of early 2026, Pouzancre-Hoyer’s personal best performances include:
| Event | Mark | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 400m Hurdles | 59.07 | July 21, 2024 |
| Long Jump | 6.17m | July 6, 2025 |
| 100m Hurdles | 13.84* | July 5, 2025 |
| 100m Hurdles (legal wind) | 13.98 | June 14, 2025 |
| 400 Meters | 56.19 (i) | February 15, 2025 |
| Heptathlon | 5,531 pts | July 2025 |
*(wind-assisted)
She currently ranks #259 in the world in the women’s heptathlon, #686 in the long jump, and holds positions inside the top 1,200 in the 100-meter hurdles and high jump—remarkable depth for an athlete still in her teenage years.
Collegiate Career: Kansas State Wildcats
In a significant step in her athletic journey, Pouzancre-Hoyer joined the Kansas State University Wildcats track and field program as a freshman for the 2025-26 academic year. Competing in the Big 12 Conference, one of the most competitive athletics conferences in American collegiate sport, she has the opportunity to develop under world-class coaching while pursuing her education.
At the Thane Baker Invitational in January 2026, her first collegiate meet, Pouzancre-Hoyer competed in multiple events including the 60-meter hurdles and shot put, beginning her transition to the NCAA competitive landscape. She joins a K-State program that boasts Olympic-level coaching, including the presence of Olympic gold medalist Tara Davis-Woodhall on staff.
The move to Kansas State follows in the footsteps of her sister Lou-Anne, who has thrived in the American collegiate system at New Mexico, and speaks to the family’s embrace of the unique developmental opportunities offered by NCAA athletics.
Athletic Profile and Competitive Strengths
What sets Pouzancre-Hoyer apart is her genuine versatility. Unlike some heptathletes who have obvious weaknesses in certain disciplines, she demonstrates competence across all seven events while showing particular strength in the speed and hurdle events. Her 400-meter hurdles ability—good enough to medal at a European championship—is a significant weapon in the heptathlon, where the 800-meter closing event often decides medal positions.
Her coach Hamed has helped guide her development at ENA, and her progression from 5,151 points to 5,312 to 5,531 over the course of a year demonstrates both her work ethic and her room for continued improvement. At 18, she is still years away from physical maturity, and historically, heptathletes often do not peak until their mid-to-late twenties.
Beyond Athletics
As a student-athlete now based in Manhattan, Kansas, Pouzancre-Hoyer balances the demands of NCAA Division I athletics with her academic pursuits. Her social media presence reflects a young athlete enjoying the journey while remaining focused on development, sharing glimpses of training, competition, and life as a French athlete adapting to American collegiate culture.
Looking Ahead
With a European age-group medal already in her trophy case, national titles at both U18 and U20 level, and now the resources of a major American collegiate program at her disposal, Lalie Pouzancre-Hoyer’s trajectory points toward senior-level success.
The French women’s heptathlon scene has been searching for its next major international contender, and Pouzancre-Hoyer possesses the raw materials to potentially fill that role. Her combination of speed, hurdle technique, jumping ability, and competitive fire—evidenced by her ability to deliver personal bests in championship finals—suggests an athlete with the temperament for the biggest stages.
For now, the focus remains on continued development: refining technique in the throwing events, building strength and endurance, and gaining experience at increasingly high levels of competition. If she continues her current rate of improvement, the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles could see her competing for France among the world’s best multi-event athletes.
One thing is certain: Lalie Pouzancre-Hoyer has already proven she belongs on the international stage, and the best is surely yet to come.
Connect with Lalie Pouzancre-Hoyer:
- Instagram: @laliepzc
Current World Athletics Ranking: #259 (Heptathlon)
Honors:
- 🥇 French U20 Heptathlon Champion (2025)
- 🥇 French U18 Heptathlon Champion (2024)
- 🥉 European U18 Championships – 400m Hurdles (2024)
- 🥉 French U18 Indoor Pentathlon (2024)
- 🥉 French U20 Indoor Pentathlon (2025)
