Méline Nocandy

Méline Nocandy (born 25 February 1998) is a French female handballer for Brest Bretagne Handball and the French national team.^[1] She is a World Champion from 2023 and an Olympic champion from 2021.^[2][3]

Méline Nocandy
Méline Nocandy in 2018
Personal information
Born	(1998-02-25) 25 February 1998 (age 27) Saint-Claude, Guadeloupe
Nationality	French
Height	1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Playing position	Centre back
Club information
Current club	Paris 92
Number	25
Youth career
Years	Team
0000–2015	Zayan LA
2015–2016	Metz Handball
Senior clubs
Years	Team
2016–2022	Metz Handball
2022–2024	Paris 92
2024–	Brest Bretagne Handball
National team 1
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2019–	France	80	(153)
Medal record Olympic Games 2020 Tokyo Team 2024 Paris Team World Championship 2023 Denmark/Norway/Sweden 2021 Spain European Championship 2020 Denmark Junior European Championship 2017 Slovenia
1 National team caps and goals correct as of 12 November 2024

Career

Nocandy played on Guadeloupe based team Zayen La. In 2015 she joined Metz Handball. ^[4][5] She started at Metz' B-team and was later promoted to the first team.

With Metz she won the French championship every year from 2016 to 2019 and again in 2022. She also won the 2017, 2019 and 2022 French Cup.

In 2022 she joined league rivals Paris 92.^[6] In September 2022 she had a knee injury that kept her out for several months.^[7]

In 2024 he joined Brest Bretagne Handball.^[8]

National team

Nocandy played for the French youth team, where she won the U-19 World Championship in 2017. In the final she was named player of the match.^[9]

Nocandy was inluded in the French Golden League 2019 team to replace the injured Grâce Zaadi, where she debuted for French national team on 21 March 2019 against Romania.^[4][10]

She represented France at the 2019 World Championship, where France finished on a disappointing 13th place. She played 7 games, scoring 14 goals.^[11][12]

A year later she won a silver medal at the 2020 European Championship.^[13]

At the 2021 Olympics she won gold medals with the French team.^[2] She scored 15 goals at the tournament.^[14] For this win she was named a Chevalier of the French Legion of Honour.^[15] Later the same year she won silver medals at the 2021 World Championship.^[16]

In 2023 she won the 2023 World Championship.^[3]

At the 2024 Olympics she won silver medals with the French team.^[17]

Achievements

Club

International

• EHF Champions League:
  • Bronze: 2022 (with Metz Handball)

Domestic

• French league (Division 1 Féminine):
  • Winner : 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2022 (with Metz Handball)
  • Tied 1st: 2020 (with Metz Handball)
  • Runner up: 2021 (with Metz Handball)
• French Division 3 (Championnat de France de Nationale 1):
  • Winner : 2015 (with Zayan LA ; youth team)^[18]
• French Cup (Coupe de France):
  • Winner : 2017, 2019 and 2022 (with Metz Handball)
  • Runner up: 2023 (with Paris 92)

National team

Senior

• Olympic Games:
  • 2020:  Gold
• World Championship:
  • 2021:  Silver
  • 2023:  Gold
• European Championship:
  • 2020:  Silver

Youth

• U-19 European Handball Championship:
  • 2017:  Gold

Awards and recognition

Individual

• French Championship
  • Hope of the Season: 2018-2019^[19]

State and civic honours

• Inducted into the Legion of Honor with the rank of Chevalier: 2021^[15]