Méline Nocandy

{{Infobox handball biography

| name = Méline Nocandy

| image = Méline Nocandy 20180314.jpg

| nationality = French

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1998|2|25|df=y}}

| birth_place = Saint-Claude, Guadeloupe

| height = 1.75 m

| position = Centre back

| currentclub = Paris 92

| clubnumber = 25

| youthyears1 = {{0|0000}}–2015

| youthclubs1 = Zayan LA

| youthyears2 = 2015–2016

| youthclubs2 = Metz Handball

| years1 = 2016–2022

| clubs1 = Metz Handball

| years2 = 2022–2024

| clubs2 = Paris 92

| years3 = 2024–

| clubs3 = Brest Bretagne Handball

| nationalyears1 = 2019–

| nationalteam1 = France

| nationalcaps1 = 80

| nationalgoals1 = 153

| ntupdate = 12 November 2024

| medaltemplates =

}}

Méline Nocandy (born 25 February 1998) is a French female handballer for Brest Bretagne Handball and the French national team.{{cite web|url=https://www.eurohandball.com/en/player/5X-7-w77ULMEObKF0hPMHg/meline-nocandy/|title=Meline Nocandy Profile|publisher=European Handball Federation|accessdate=2 November 2017}} She is a World Champion from 2023 and an Olympic champion from 2021.{{cite web|url=https://www.handball-world.news/o.red.r/news-1-2-26-43298.html |publisher=handball-world.news|title=Doppel-Gold in Tokio: Frankreich holt sich auch bei den Frauen den Olympiasieg|access-date=20 August 2021|language=de}}{{cite web|url=https://www.ihf.info/sites/default/files/competitions/29fa120a-f09a-4648-8ce7-963c3618fc5f/pdf/FRATOTAL.PDF?n=1703004988 |publisher=International Handball Federation|website=ihf.info|title=Team cumulative statistics France|date=17 December 2023|access-date=23 December 2023}}

Career

Nocandy played on Guadeloupe based team Zayen La. In 2015 she joined Metz Handball. {{cite web|url=https://handnews.fr/2019/edf-golden-league-meline-nocandy-pour-profiter-a-fond/ |publisher=handnews.fr|title=Méline Nocandy pour "profiter à fond"|accessdate=20 August 2021|language=fr}}{{cite web|url=https://www.handzone.net/Home/Actu/61031/Zayen_Amiens_Kourou_Chartres_et_Le_Tampon_champions_nationaux |publisher=handzone.net|title=National Zayen, Amiens, Kourou, Chartres et Le Tampon, champions nationaux !|accessdate=20 August 2021|language=fr}} 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.{{cite web|url=https://www.paris92.fr/index.php/2021/11/25/la-demi-centre-prodige-a-paris-92/#more-8700 |publisher=Paris 92 |title=La demi-centre prodige à PARIS 92|accessdate=26 November 2021|language=fr}} In September 2022 she had a knee injury that kept her out for several months.{{cite web|url=https://paris92.fr/communique-de-presse-blessure-de-meline-nocandy/ |publisher=Paris 92|title=Communiqué de presse : Blessure de Meline Nocandy“|accessdate=27 September 2022|language=fr}}

In 2024 he joined Brest Bretagne Handball.{{cite web|url=https://www.brest-bretagnehandball.fr/actualites/meline-nocandy-arrive-au-bbh-la-saison-prochaine |publisher=Brest Bretagne Handball |title=MÉLINE NOCANDY ARRIVE AU BBH LA SAISON PROCHAINE !|accessdate=27 November 2023|language=fr}}

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.{{cite web|url=http://history.eurohandball.com/article/029109/France+are+Women%e2%80%99s+19+champions+of+Europe |publisher=European Handball Federation|website=history.eurohandball.com|title=France are Women’s 19 champions of Europe|access-date=20 August 2021}}

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.{{cite web|url=https://www.digisport.ro/handbal/romania-franta-18-28-esec-categoric-contra-campioanei-mondiale-si-europene-630708 |publisher=digisport.ro|title=România - Franţa 18-28. Eşec categoric contra campioanei mondiale şi europene|access-date=20 August 2021|language=ro}}

She represented France at the 2019 World Championship, where France finished on a disappointing 13th place. She played 7 games, scoring 14 goals.{{Cite web|url=https://www.ffhandball.fr/fr/articles/articles-publies/edff-le-groupe-pour-le-mondial-au-japon|title=#EDFF – Le groupe pour le Mondial au Japon|website=ffhandball.fr|language=fr|access-date=8 November 2019}}[https://www.ihf.info/sites/default/files/competitions/459525eb-a3b4-457d-94b9-ed7d6afd3491/pdf/FRA.PDF 2019 World Women's Handball Championship squad]

A year later she won a silver medal at the 2020 European Championship.{{cite web|access-date=20 August 2021 |publisher=European Handball Federation |title=2020 Women's EHF EURO |url=http://history.eurohandball.com/ech/women/2020/round/2/Women%27s+EHF+EURO+2020+Q+Phase+2 |website=history.eurohandball.com}}

At the 2021 Olympics she won gold medals with the French team. She scored 15 goals at the tournament.{{cite web|url=https://www.ihf.info/sites/default/files/competitions/d163d492-68ad-402e-b701-50c0c75a6136/pdf/FRATOTAL.PDF?n=1628415058 |publisher=International Handball Federation|website=ihf.info|title=Cumulative Statistics: France|access-date=20 August 2021}} For this win she was named a Chevalier of the French Legion of Honour.{{cite web |title=Décret portant nomination |url=https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/jorf/id/JORFTEXT000044033349?init=true&page=1&query=teddy+riner&searchField=ALL&tab_selection=all |access-date=13 September 2021 |website=legifrance.gouv.fr}} Later the same year she won silver medals at the 2021 World Championship.{{cite web|url=https://www.handball-world.news/o.red.r/news-1-2-23-44335.html |publisher=handball-world.news|title=16:4-Spurt im Finale der Handball-WM der Frauen: Norwegen krönt sich gegen Frankreich zum Weltmeister|access-date=21 December 2021|language=de}}

In 2023 she won the 2023 World Championship.

At the 2024 Olympics she won silver medals with the French team.[https://olympics.com/OG2024/pdf/OG2024/HBL/OG2024_HBL_C92C_HBLWTEAM7-------------------------.pdf olympics.com: Paris 2024: Medallists], retrieved 11 August 2024

Achievements

=Club=

==International==

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

==Domestic==

French league (Division 1 Féminine):
Winner {{Gold1}}: 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 {{Gold1}}: 2015 (with Zayan LA ; youth team){{Cite web |title=#Finalités #N1F : Zayen complète le tableau |url=https://www.ffhandball.fr/actualite/archives/finalites-n1f-zayen-complete-le-tableau/}}
French Cup (Coupe de France):
Winner {{Gold1}}: 2017, 2019 and 2022 (with Metz Handball)
Runner up: 2023 (with Paris 92)

=National team=

==Senior==

Olympic Games:
2020: {{gold medal}}
World Championship:
2021: {{silver medal}}
2023: {{gold medal}}
European Championship:
2020: {{silver medal}}

==Youth==

U-19 European Handball Championship:
2017: {{gold medal}}

Awards and recognition

=Individual=

French Championship
Hope of the Season: 2018-2019{{Cite web |date=2019 |title= #LFH #LigueButagazEnergie - Une rentrée de marque |url=https://www.ffhandball.fr/actualite/archives/lfh-liguebutagazenergie-une-rentree-de-marque/}}