Born on June 25, 1987 in Cannes, Sandrine Gruda is a female basketball player of French nationality. She is the daughter of Ulysses Gruda, an interior of 2.07 m and selected seven times for the team of France.
Champion of Europe (Euroleague) in 2013 with UMMC Ekaterinburg, she evolves like her mother at the center and measures 1.93 m.
With the Blues in 2012 she won the first Olympic medal for France (editor’s note, beaten in the final by the USA) and the group received the nickname of Braqueuses. It is on the way to her second title of European champion in Eurobasket. Host of the competition in 2013, France is the favorite in the championship and remains faultless before tackling the quarterfinals.
Journey
It is on her homeland, Martinique, that the French interior teaches the fundamentals of the orange ball to the Golden Lion Basketball and Pole Espoir. In 2002, she returned to the metropolis. Three years after a stint in the federal sector, she is committed to Valenciennes (2005), at the age of 18. She very quickly became popular in the paint and led the following year, the USVO in the Euroleague final four. Valenciennes is eliminated in the semifinals. Twice MVP of the national championship, she is enlisted by the Russian club UMMC Ekaterinburg in March 2007, then draftee in the 13th position in April of the same year by the club of the Connecticut Sun in the WNBA draft in 2007. She played the WNBA for three seasons (2008-2010).
Voted best within the European Championship Junior Bratislava-2004, with an average of 18.1 points, 13.4 rebounds and 0.6 assists, Sandrine Gruda began her adventure in the Cadet selection a year earlier. In 2005 she won the bronze medal in the European Championship Budapest (still with Juniors) in addition to the title of best interior.
The match France-China August 5, 2006 in Dunkirk marks her debut with the first team. She is selected in the same year for the world championship in Brazil.
At the Olympic Games in London in 2012, she finished as best blocker with an average of 2.1 shots.
In 2010, the beautiful Martinique lends her image in an advertising campaign for Air Caraibes airline.
She also scrolls as a model.
Awards
National Team
Senior
Silver medal at the London 2012 Olympics
Champion of Europe 2009 in Riga (Latvia)
Bronze Medal 2011 European Championship
8th European Championship 2007
5th World Championship 2006
Youth competitions
Bronze medal in 2005 European Junior Championships
Bronze medal world championship under 21 years in 2007
In clubs
UMMC Ekaterinburg
Winner of the 2013 Euroleague
Champion of Russia (Russian Superleague) 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012
Winner of the Russian Cup in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013
USVO
Champion of France 2007
Winner of the Coupe de France in 2007
Finalist of the Coupe de France in 2006
Finalist for the 2006 Federation Tournament, 2007
Individual Awards
Knight of the National Order of Merit in 2013
Best European player of the year 2009 (2009 Women’s Player of the Year) by FIBA Europe
Best interior in the European Championship 2009
Selected by FIBA Europe All Star Game in 2007
2006 Euroleague MVP Hope
Best interior in the European Junior Championship in 2004
Best interior in the European Junior Championship in 2005
MVP of the World Hope (21 years) 2007
Best player (MVP) of the Women’s Basketball League (French Championship) in 2006 and 2007
Best female Hope of Women Basketball League in 2006 and 2007.