Lotte Gretzler: Germany’s Multi-Event Sensation

Early Life and Background

Born on July 16, 2007, Lotte Gretzler is an 18-year-old track and field athlete from Schwabenheim, Germany, who has emerged as one of Europe’s most promising young talents in combined events and pole vault. A member of USC Mainz (Universitätssportclub Mainz), Lotte represents a rare breed of athlete: she excels not only as one of Germany’s top young heptathletes but also as one of the country’s premier U-20 pole vaulters—a unique combination that has earned her recognition as a “unicorn in the world of track and field.”

Athletic Heritage and Family

Athletics runs in the Gretzler family. Lotte’s sister, Line Gretzler, is also a talented multi-event athlete and pole vaulter, creating a dynamic sibling partnership in German track and field. The sisters train together at USC Mainz and have both represented Germany at national championships.

Track and Field Accomplishments

Personal Bests

Lotte’s impressive personal records demonstrate her versatility across multiple disciplines:

Heptathlon Events:

• Heptathlon: 5,598 points (high school personal record)
• 100m Hurdles: 14.06 seconds
• High Jump: 1.62 meters
• Shot Put: 13 meters (typical performance)
• 200 meters: 25.30 seconds
• Long Jump: 5.84 meters / 19’0″
• Javelin (500g): 47.49 meters / 156’9″
• 800 meters: 2:25.73 (personal best set at 2024 European U18 Championships)

Pole Vault:

• 4.11 meters / 13’6″ (set February 2, 2025, at Karlsruhe)

Indoor Events:

• 60m Hurdles: 8.79 seconds (February 9, 2025)
• 4x200m Relay Short Track: 1:37.60 (February 23, 2025)

Major Championships and Achievements

2024 European U18 Championships (Banská Bystrica, Slovakia)

Lotte’s international breakthrough came at the 2024 European U18 Championships in July, where she finished seventh in the heptathlon with 5,576 points. The competition showcased both her resilience and her potential:

• Day 1 Highlights: Opened with a personal best of 14.06 seconds in the 100m hurdles, winning her heat. Struggled somewhat in high jump (1.57m) and shot put (12.71m), but rallied with another personal best in the 200 meters to close the first day.
• Day 2 Performance: Equaled her personal best in long jump with 5.84 meters, threw 46.35 meters in javelin (third-best among all heptathletes), and concluded with a stunning personal best of 2:25.73 in the 800 meters—improving her previous mark by four seconds.

After the competition, Lotte reflected: “I am very happy with my 800-meter run and with the nice conclusion of the heptathlon that I had. Yesterday was bumpy, but that’s clear that at such a competition with so much tension and so many new impressions, not everything works. Today went really well… After the high jump and shot put yesterday, I had nothing more to lose, so I decided for today to just have fun.”

German National Championships Success

• 2022: German U16 Heptathlon Champion
• 2023: Member of the German team that set a national U18 team heptathlon record
• 2025: South German Champion in Pole Vault (Seniors category)

German Indoor Combined Events Championships

At the 2025 Indoor Multi-Event German Championships in Frankfurt/Kalbach, Lotte competed in her first U-20 pentathlon and claimed bronze with 3,815 points. She set personal bests in four of five disciplines, demonstrating her rapid progression even while adjusting to higher hurdles and heavier implements in the U-20 age group.

Pole Vault Excellence

Lotte’s pole vault achievements are particularly noteworthy given that pole vault is not a heptathlon discipline:

• 2025 South German Champion (seniors category) with 4.11 meters—a personal best
• Third place at the 2024 German Youth Championships in pole vault
• Narrowly missed qualification for the 2024 U-20 World Championships in pole vault

At the 2025 state championships in Ludwigshafen, she won the women’s pole vault with 3.90 meters, noting afterward that she still had “much potential upward.”

World Rankings

As of 2025, Lotte ranks #258 in the world in women’s pole vault, an impressive achievement for an athlete who also competes at the highest level in combined events.

Education and Academic Excellence

Lotte is not only an exceptional athlete but also an accomplished student. She attended the Otto-Schott-Gymnasium Mainz-Gonsenheim, a school known for gifted students (Schule für Hochbegabtenförderung), where she demonstrated academic excellence across multiple subjects:

• Mathematics: Participated in and won awards at the Mathematics Olympiad, reaching the regional and state finals
• Languages: Won first place state prize in the Federal Foreign Language Competition (Bundeswettbewerb Fremdsprachen) for her French-language projects, including “Good Climate, Bad Climate” and a presentation about a multi-day bike tour in the Loire Valley
• Mathematics Competition: Multiple second-place finishes in the prestigious Kangaroo Mathematics Competition across various school years

Her academic achievements at one of Germany’s top gymnasiums for gifted students highlight her intellectual capabilities alongside her athletic talents. Balancing rigorous academics with elite-level athletic training, Lotte prepared for her Abitur (German university entrance qualification) while competing internationally.

Career Aspirations and Princeton University

In August 2025, Lotte began her studies at Princeton University in New Jersey, joining the Princeton Tigers women’s track and field team as part of the Class of 2029. Her decision to attend Princeton represents the convergence of her academic and athletic aspirations at one of the world’s most prestigious universities.

Princeton’s Director of Track and Field praised her recruitment: “Lotte is a unicorn in the world of track and field. Not only is she one of the top young heptathletes in Europe, she is also one of Germany’s top U-20 pole vaulters. Her athleticism and competitiveness will make her a force to be reckoned with not only in the Ivy League but also at the NCAA level. Lotte’s enthusiasm and love of the sport will surely help elevate our team and the combined events training group to new heights.”

When asked why she chose Princeton, Lotte explained: “I immediately fell in love with Princeton. From the moment I spoke with the coaches and the team I felt welcomed and embraced by a loving environment. Everyone is passionate about academics and track and field, just like me, and I believe Princeton is the perfect place for me to grow in both areas while also enjoying the journey.”

Training Philosophy and Approach

Lotte’s training regimen at USC Mainz was comprehensive and carefully structured to balance her dual focus on combined events and pole vault:

• Pole vault training: Twice per week
• Gymnastics and strength training: Regular sessions with coach Herbert Czingon
• Hurdles and running: Sessions with coach Thomas Kohlbacher
• Early morning training: Two days per week with later school starts, allowing 7:30 AM and 8:30 AM training sessions

Her coaches noted that while she trained less frequently in disciplines like high jump, long jump, and shot put during the winter months, this created significant potential for improvement during the outdoor season. The strategic focus allowed her to excel in pole vault while maintaining her combined events prowess.

Looking toward the 2025 outdoor season and beyond, Lotte has increasingly focused on pole vault, where the transition from U18 to U-20 competition is more manageable than in heptathlon. Her goal has been to qualify for international championships in pole vault while continuing to develop her combined events abilities.

Athletic Mindset and Personal Interests

Lotte’s approach to competition demonstrates remarkable maturity and mental strength. During the challenging moments at the 2024 European U18 Championships, she showed the ability to reset mentally after difficult disciplines, focusing on enjoying the experience and performing well in subsequent events. Her comments about having “nothing more to lose” and deciding to “just have fun” after early setbacks reveal an athlete who understands the psychological demands of combined events.

She has expressed particular enthusiasm for the camaraderie among heptathletes: “With the other heptathletes it was really cool, everyone gives it to the other and is happy with the other.” This appreciation for the supportive community within combined events speaks to her team-oriented mindset despite competing in an individual sport.

Beyond athletics, Lotte has demonstrated intellectual curiosity and linguistic talent through her academic achievements, particularly in mathematics and French. Her success in language competitions and mathematical olympiads reveals a student-athlete with diverse interests and capabilities.

Physical Profile

Based on competition data and athletic profiles, Lotte competes in the pole vault/multis category with the versatility required for success across seven demanding disciplines plus her specialized pole vault work.

Social Media and Public Presence

Lotte maintains an Instagram presence (@lotte.grz) where she identifies as a “german track athlete mainz @princetontrack ’29,” connecting with over 7,000 followers who follow her journey from Germany to Princeton University.

The Unique Path: Dual Excellence

What makes Lotte Gretzler truly exceptional is the rarity of her dual specialization. As noted in German athletics media: “That multi-event athletes test again and again in individual disciplines is nothing unusual. That a youth multi-event athlete is so strong in pole vault, a discipline that does not count toward the heptathlon or indoor pentathlon, however, rarely occurs.”

Lotte doesn’t see herself as a pole vaulter who also does combined events, or vice versa. She embraces both identities fully: “She understands herself as both a pole vaulter and a multi-event athlete—and has celebrated successes in both discipline groups.”

This dual focus presents unique challenges, particularly in managing training time and competition schedules, but it also provides opportunities. Her pole vault strength adds an extra dimension to her athletic profile, while her combined events training develops the all-around athleticism that enhances her pole vault technique.

Looking Forward

At just 18 years old and now competing at Princeton University, Lotte Gretzler represents the future of combined events and pole vault. Her progression from German U16 Champion to European U18 Championships seventh place, combined with her pole vault excellence and academic achievements at one of Germany’s top schools, demonstrates exceptional talent and discipline.

The transition to Princeton and NCAA competition presents new challenges and opportunities. Competing at the NCAA Division I level while pursuing academics at an Ivy League institution will test her abilities in both arenas. However, her track record suggests she is well-prepared for this challenge.

Her coaches, teammates, and competitors have all noted her enthusiasm, competitiveness, and love for the sport—qualities that, combined with her technical abilities and mental toughness, position her for continued success at the collegiate and potentially elite international level.

As she embarks on her Princeton journey, Lotte Gretzler carries with her the achievements of a German champion, the experience of European championship competition, and the support of a family and athletic community that has helped shape her into one of Europe’s most promising young multi-event athletes. Her story is just beginning, and the athletics world will be watching to see how this rare talent develops in the years ahead.

Go Lotte!