Alexandra do Nascimento

{{Infobox handball biography

| name = Alexandra do Nascimento

| fullname = Alexandra Priscila do Nascimento Martínez

| image = Alexandra Nascimento 2016.jpg

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1981|9|16|df=y}}

| birth_place = Limeira, Brazil

| height = 1.77 m

| position = Right wing

| currentclub =

| clubnumber =

| years1 =

| clubs1 = Jundiai

| years2 = {{0|0000}}–2003

| clubs2 = {{flagicon|BRA}} Guarulhos

| years3 = 2003–2014

| clubs3 = {{flagicon|AUT}} Hypo Niederösterreich

| years4 = 2014–2016

| clubs4 = {{flagicon|ROU}} HCM Baia Mare

| years5 = 2016–2017

| clubs5 = {{flagicon|HUN}} Váci NKSE

| years6 = 2017–2019

| clubs6 = {{flagicon|HUN}} Alba Fehérvár KC

| years7 = 2019–2020

| clubs7 = {{flagicon|HUN}} Érd NK

| years8 = 2020–2022

| clubs8 = {{flagicon|FRA}} Bourg-de-Péage DHB

| years9 = 2022–

| clubs9 = {{flagicon|ESP}} CB Elche

| nationalyears1 = 1998–2021

| nationalteam1 = Brazil

| nationalcaps1 = 212

| nationalgoals1 = 733

| show-medals = no

| medaltemplates =

|Number=|caption=do Nascimento in 2016}}

Alexandra Priscila do Nascimento Martínez (born 16 September 1981) is a Brazilian former handball player. She played in the Brazilian national team.{{cite web|url=http://www.eurohandball.com/player/522153|title=Alexandra do Nascimento Profile|publisher=European Handball Federation|access-date=7 February 2014|archive-date=31 October 2014|archive-url=https://archive.today/20141031225023/http://www.eurohandball.com/player/522153|url-status=dead}} She is a world champion from 2013, the first in history Brazil won the title.{{cite web|url=http://www.ihf.info/IHFCompetitions/WorldChampionships/WomensWorldChampionships/WomensWorldChampionship/News/NewsDetails/tabid/6485/Default.aspx?ID=1854 |title=Brazil World Champions for the first time |date=22 December 2013 |work=ihf.info |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131224111343/http://www.ihf.info/IHFCompetitions/WorldChampionships/WomensWorldChampionships/WomensWorldChampionship/News/NewsDetails/tabid/6485/Default.aspx?ID=1854 |archive-date=24 December 2013 |df=dmy }}

Career

=Youth career=

She was born in 1981 in Limeira (São Paulo) but she soon moved to Espírito Santo where she grew up. She started playing handball aged 10.

=Hypo NÖ=

She moved to Austria in 2004 to join Hypo NÖ, a club that is noted for having many Brazilian national team players. Here she won the Austrian championship and cup double 10 times in a row from 2004 to 2014. In 2008 she reached the final of the Champions League, where they lost to Russian Zvezda Zvenigorod. In 2013 she won the EHF Cup Winners' Cup with the club.

In 2012, she was the first Brazilian handballer to be voted IHF World Player of the Year.{{cite web|url=https://archive.ihf.info//MediaCenter/News/NewsDetails/tabid/130/Default.aspx?ID=1393|title=Alexandra do Nascimento and Daniel Narcisse are GRUNDFOS World Handball Players of the Year 2012|publisher=International Handball Federation|date=8 January 2013}}

=Romania=

On 14 February 2014 she announced that she would leave Hypo NÖ, and together with Bárbara Arenhart she joined Romanian HCM Baia Mare on a two year contract.{{cite web|url=http://www.hypo-noe.at/de/14306?entry=12277 |website=hypo-noe.at|publisher=Hypo Niederösterreich |title=Ale Nascimento verlässt Handballclub HYPO NÖ|access-date=15 February 2014|language=de}}

=Hungary=

In 2016 she joined Hungarian Ipress Center-Vác.{{cite web|url=http://handball.hu/2016/04/14/nascimento_vacra_jon/ |publisher=handball.hu|title=Nascimento Vácra jön|access-date=24 April 2016|language=hu}} A year later she joined Alba Fehérvár KC.{{cite web|url=http://www.europamester.dk/alessandra-do-nascimento-skifter-klub-ny-overskrift/ |publisher=europamester.dk|title=Nascimento skifter til Alba Fehérvár KC|access-date=26 July 2017|language=da}} In 2019 she joined Érd HC.{{cite web|url=https://www.origo.hu/sport/csapat/20190521-vilagbajnok-kezilabdazot-igazolt-az-erd-alexandra-do-nascimento.html |publisher=origo.hu|title=Világbajnok kézilabdázót igazolt az Érd|access-date=27 August 2019|language=hu}}

=Retirements and comebacks=

At the end of the 2019-2020 season, she announced her retirement, but quickly reconsidered and joined French side Bourg-de-Péage Drôme Handball.{{cite news|url=https://www.handball-world.news/o.red.r/news-1-2-4-39928.html |publisher=handball-world.news|title=Drei Jugendspielerinnen bleiben - Erd HC mit radikalem Umbruch|access-date=19 April 2020|language=de}}{{cite news|url=https://www.handball-world.news/o.red.r/news-1-2-4-40158.html |publisher=handball-world.news|title=Frühere Welthandballerin Do Nascimento wechselt nach Frankreich|access-date=7 June 2020|language=de}}

In February 2022 she announced her retirement and the fact that she was pregnant at the same time.{{cite web|url=https://www.ledauphine.com/sport/2022/02/15/enceinte-alexandra-do-nascimento-(bourg-de-peage)-prend-sa-retraite |publisher=ledauphine.com|title=Enceinte, Alexandra Do Nascimento (Bourg-de-Péage) prend sa retraite|access-date=22 May 2022|language=fr}} In October 2022 she came back to handball for a second time and joined Spanish side Club Balonmano Elche, where she made her debut for the club on 28 December 2022.{{cite news|url=https://www.marca.com/balonmano/2023/01/24/63ce832a268e3e11678b45a1.html |publisher=Marca|title=El BM Elche sí concilia: facilita que Do Nascimento viaje con su hija de cuatro meses|date=24 January 2023|access-date=24 January 2023|language=es}} With the club she won the 2024 EHF European League. After the 2023-24 she announced her retirement for a third time,{{cite web|url=https://www.balonmano.info/altas-y-bajas-para-la-temporada-2024-25-202434513/ |publisher=balonmano.info|title=Altas y bajas para la temporada 2024-25}} but would once again come back. This time she joined Italian AC Life Style Handball Erice in January 2025.

National team

At the 2011 World Championship at home soil she was the top scorer at the tournament with 57 goals.{{cite web|url=http://www.ihf.info/files/competitiondata/121/pdf/TOPSCORER.pdf |website=ihf.info |publisher=International Handball Federation|access-date=19 December 2011|title=Topscorer|language=en}}

In 2016, she was chosen for the third time to be in Brazil's Olympic handball team. She was the top scorer in her first two games.[https://www.rio2016.com/en/news/best-in-world-in-2012-alexandra-nascimento-dreams-of-winning-a-medal-at-rio-2016 Best in world in 2012, Alexandra Nascimento dreams of winning a medal at Rio 2016] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160809170129/https://www.rio2016.com/en/news/best-in-world-in-2012-alexandra-nascimento-dreams-of-winning-a-medal-at-rio-2016 |date=9 August 2016 }}, Rio 2016, Retrieved 5 August 2016

Achievements

Austrian League:
Winner: 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
Austrian Cup:
Winner: 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
Romanian League:
Finalist: 2015
Romanian Cup:
Winner: 2015
EHF Champions League:
Finalist: 2008
Semifinalist: 2005, 2007, 2009
EHF Cup Winners' Cup
Winner: 2013
Runners-up: 2004
EHF Champions Trophy
Runners-up: 2008
Baia Mare Champions Trophy:
Winner: 2014
Pan American Games:
Winner: 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015
World Championship:
Winner: 2013
Pan American Championship:
Winner: 2003, 2005, 2007, 2011, 2013
Silver Medalist: 2009
South American Championship:
Winner: 2013
Provident Cup:
Winner: 2013

Awards and recognition

World Championship Top Scorer: 2011
World Championship Second Best Scorer: 2013
EHF Champions League Second Best Scorer: 2010
All-Star Right Wing of the Summer Olympics: 2012
IHF World Player of the Year – Women: 2012
Austrian Handball Federation Right Wing of the Year – Women: 2013
Most Valuable Player Pan American Championship: 2013

Personal life

Since July 2011, she is married to Chilean international handballer, Patricio Martínez.{{cite web|url=http://timebrasil.cob.org.br/atletas/alexandra-priscila-do-nascimento|title=Alexandra Priscila do Nascimento profile|publisher=timebrasil.cob.org.br|access-date=7 February 2014|language=pt|archive-date=7 July 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130707151618/http://timebrasil.cob.org.br/atletas/alexandra-priscila-do-nascimento|url-status=dead}}