Alexe Deau

Happy birthday to France’s sprinter Alexe Deau, who spent 2025 turning a promising 400m into a genuine international career.

At the European U23 Championships in Bergen, Alexe ran 50.94 for bronze in the individual 400m, then came back and took a second bronze in the 4x400m relay. Weeks later she was in Tokyo at the World Championships, running a leg of a French 4x400m that finished seventh in the final in 3:24.08. Two continental medals and a world final inside one season is a great deal of ground to cover.

What makes her interesting is the range underneath it. She has run 23.09 for 200m and 7.60 for 60m indoors, which is unusual raw speed for a quarter-miler and exactly what makes a 400m runner dangerous over the closing hundred metres. She races out of ASA Maisons-Alfort in the Val-de-Marne, and her own profile leads not with a time or a medal but with a single word: faith.

Joyeux anniversaire, Alexe! Nos vœux les plus sincères pour cette nouvelle année — santé, bonheur, et beaucoup d’autres finales. 🎂🎁🎉🫶🫶🇫🇷