Zola Ndouma Mona: France’s Rising Multi-Event Star

By Staff Writer

In the demanding world of multi-event athletics, where versatility meets endurance and mental fortitude, a new French talent has emerged who possesses all the ingredients for international success. Zola Ndouma Mona, still just 18 years old, has already represented France on the continental stage, set championship records, and taken her talents across the Atlantic to compete at the collegiate level in the United States. Her journey from the athletics clubs of southwestern France to the Big 12 Conference represents one of the most promising trajectories in French youth athletics.

Early Life and Introduction to Athletics

Zola Ndouma Mona was born on May 24, 2007, and grew up in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department of southwestern France, near the city of Pau. This region, nestled at the foot of the Pyrenees mountains, has produced numerous talented French athletes over the years, and Ndouma Mona would soon add her name to that distinguished list.

She began her athletics career with Club Universitaire de Pau (CU Pau), one of the premier multi-sport clubs in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. Under the guidance of coaches at CU Pau, Ndouma Mona’s natural athletic gifts quickly became apparent. Rather than specializing in a single discipline, she demonstrated remarkable aptitude across multiple events—the hallmark of a true multi-eventer.

Youth Career: Building a Champion’s Foundation

Ndouma Mona’s progression through the French youth athletics system was nothing short of impressive. By 2021, competing in the Minimes (under-15) category, she had already established herself as one of the nation’s most promising young combined events athletes.

At the 2021 French National Minimes Championships in Tours, Ndouma Mona announced her arrival on the national stage in emphatic fashion. She captured the French Minimes title in the triathlon generalist, finishing as the scratch winner in her first-year Minimes category with 125 points. That same weekend, she demonstrated her versatility by winning the high jump (clearing 1.66m) and shot put (throwing 12.02m) at regional competitions—performances that hinted at the exceptional multi-event talent she would become.

Her 2022 season saw continued development across all disciplines. On April 9, 2022, she ran 12.53 seconds in the 100 meters, establishing a baseline for her sprint speed. Throughout the year, she competed in numerous regional and national events, steadily improving her marks and gaining invaluable competitive experience.

2023: The Breakthrough Year

The 2023 season marked a significant leap forward for Ndouma Mona. Now competing in the Cadettes (under-17) category, she attacked personal bests across the board with remarkable consistency.

On May 27, 2023, she cleared 1.74 meters in the high jump—a mark that demonstrated her technical development in one of the heptathlon’s most challenging disciplines. Just a month later, on June 24, she posted a 200-meter time of 25.16 seconds, showing improved speed endurance.

But the defining performance of her 2023 campaign came on July 27, when Ndouma Mona leaped to a stunning personal best of 6.08 meters in the long jump. This mark not only represented a massive breakthrough in one of her weaker events but also signaled that she was developing into a truly well-rounded multi-eventer capable of scoring consistently across all seven heptathlon disciplines.

2024 European U18 Championships: Heartbreak by One Point

The summer of 2024 would prove to be both triumphant and heartbreaking for Ndouma Mona. Selected to represent France at the European Athletics U18 Championships in Banská Bystrica, Slovakia, she arrived with medal ambitions in the heptathlon.

From the opening event, Ndouma Mona showed she belonged among Europe’s elite youth athletes. In the 100-meter hurdles, she clocked a personal best of 13.76 seconds, immediately positioning herself among the leaders. But it was in the shot put where she truly announced her presence on the continental stage.

Her first throw of 15.48 meters broke the European U18 Championship record. Remarkably, she wasn’t finished—her next attempt sailed out to 16.43 meters, breaking her own freshly-minted championship record. The French contingent in Banská Bystrica watched in amazement as their 17-year-old multi-eventer dominated one of the heptathlon’s power events.

The momentum continued into day two. In the long jump, she posted a solid 5.80 meters, and in the javelin throw, she uncorked another personal best of 41.68 meters—an improvement of more than four meters over her previous best. Entering the final event, the 800 meters, Ndouma Mona sat in medal position.

What followed was the cruel mathematics of combined events. The 800 meters has never been Ndouma Mona’s strongest discipline, and on this day, she crossed the finish line in 2:35—a full 20 seconds behind the winner of that heat. When the final scores were tallied, the French teenager finished with 5,731 points. Germany’s Maria Schnemilich, who had run a much faster 800 meters, finished with 5,732 points.

One point. The bronze medal—and a place on the European U18 podium—slipped away by the narrowest of margins.

While the fourth-place finish stung, Ndouma Mona’s overall performance demonstrated that she belongs among Europe’s best young multi-event athletes. Her championship record in the shot put stood as proof of her explosive power, while her personal bests across multiple events showed an athlete ascending toward international prominence.

2025: Continued Growth

Following her heartbreaking near-miss at the European Championships, Ndouma Mona returned to competition with renewed determination in 2025. Competing in her final year of U18 eligibility while preparing for her transition to American collegiate athletics, she continued to refine her skills.

On May 18, 2025, she lowered her 100-meter hurdles personal best to 14.11 seconds, demonstrating continued improvement in her lead-off heptathlon event. At the French national combined events competition in Montreuil in June 2025, she posted a career-best heptathlon score of 5,481 points—a performance that underscored her steady progression.

Shortly after, at a competition in Laval on July 5, 2025, Ndouma Mona cleared 1.75 meters in the high jump, establishing a new personal best in that discipline. Then, on August 9, 2025, at Stade Manuela Montebrun in Laval, she achieved another breakthrough, running 13.85 seconds in the 100-meter hurdles to set her current personal best.

The Move to Iowa State University

In the fall of 2025, Ndouma Mona made the significant decision to continue her athletic and academic career at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa. The Cyclones, competing in the Big 12 Conference, have a proud tradition of developing elite track and field athletes, and Ndouma Mona represents exactly the type of versatile talent that thrives in the American collegiate system.

As a freshman multi-eventer for the 2025-2026 indoor and outdoor seasons, she brings a wealth of international experience that few first-year athletes possess. The transition to American collegiate athletics presents both challenges and opportunities—new coaching methods, different competition formats, and the unique demands of balancing athletic performance with academic requirements.

Her first indoor season at Iowa State began in December 2025, with competitions at the Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener. By January 2026, she was competing regularly for the Cyclones, including a performance at the Cyclone Open on January 23, 2026, where she ran 8.99 seconds in the 60-meter hurdles—a strong early-season mark that bodes well for her development.

Personal Bests and Career Highlights

Personal Bests:

• 100 Meters: 12.53s (April 9, 2022)
• 200 Meters: 25.16s (June 24, 2023)
• 100 Meter Hurdles: 13.85s (August 9, 2025)
• 60 Meter Hurdles (Indoor): 8.99s (January 23, 2026)
• High Jump: 1.75m (July 5, 2025)
• Long Jump: 6.08m (July 27, 2023)
• Shot Put: 16.43m (July 2024, European U18 Championships)
• Javelin Throw: 41.68m (July 2024, European U18 Championships)
• Heptathlon: 5,481 points (June 15, 2025)

Career Highlights:

• 4th Place, Heptathlon, 2024 European U18 Championships (Banská Bystrica, Slovakia)
• European U18 Championship Record, Shot Put (16.43m)
• French National Minimes Champion, Triathlon Generalist (2021)
• Multiple French age-group medals and regional titles

World Rankings and Recognition

As of the 2025 competitive season, Ndouma Mona held a World Athletics ranking of #238 in the women’s heptathlon, placing her among the world’s emerging young talents in combined events. She also ranked #639 in the long jump, #794 in the shot put, and #937 in the 100-meter hurdles on the women’s world lists.

Within European rankings, she has reached as high as #379 in the high jump and #425 in the long jump among active competitors—impressive figures for an athlete who only recently turned 18.

Looking Ahead: The Road to 2028

For Zola Ndouma Mona, the path forward is filled with possibility. The 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles loom on the horizon, and at just 21 years old at that time, she would be entering her athletic prime. The development she will undergo over her collegiate career at Iowa State could prove pivotal in determining whether she becomes a future Olympian for France.

Her combination of explosive power (evident in her shot put performances), technical proficiency (shown in her high jump and hurdles), and improving speed events makes her a complete heptathlete in the making. The 800 meters—her acknowledged weakness—remains an area for improvement, but at her age, significant gains in that discipline are entirely achievable with focused training.

French athletics has a proud tradition in combined events, and Ndouma Mona appears destined to carry that torch forward. Her narrow miss at the 2024 European U18 Championships, rather than breaking her spirit, seems to have fueled her determination. Athletes who experience such heartbreak at young ages often develop the mental resilience necessary for success at the highest levels.

As she settles into life as a student-athlete at Iowa State, balancing coursework with training and competition, Ndouma Mona is laying the foundation for what promises to be an exciting international career. The combination of French coaching during her formative years and American collegiate development could produce a heptathlete capable of challenging for medals at World Championships and Olympic Games.

For fans of combined events athletics, Zola Ndouma Mona is a name to remember. Her story—from the athletics clubs of Pau to the European championships to the cornfields of Iowa—is still being written, and the best chapters almost certainly lie ahead.