 Pigni competed for her native country at the 1972 Summer Olympics held in Munich, Germany, where she won the bronze medal in the women's 1500 m.

She was the winner of the France version of the 1970 International Cross Country Championships.She followed this up by winning the first two women's titles at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in 1973 and 1974.In an era when female middle distance was growing, Pigni established six world records (those recognized are signed with an asterisk).