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La Gazzetta dello Sport 2009
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The paper is involved in several sports and has organised the Giro d’Italia bike race since 1909.
The newspaper, publishing on pink paper, has a wide readership in Italy and reaches international audiences with its awards.
Since 1979 the paper has selected a European player of the year in Women's Basketball.
The first winner of the award was Soviet Union star, Uljana Semjonova (Uļjana Semjonova/Ульяна Ларионовна Семенова) who actually hails from Latvia.
She won the gold medal twice at the Olympic games while playing for the national team from the Soviet Union (USSR) in 1976 and 1980.
At 2.13m she is one of the tallest women to have played basketball at the highest level.
The 2009 winner is 22-year old Sandrine Gruda (left) from France.
The newspaper selects an international jury of players, coaches and journalists. The winner is the player that comes out with the most votes:
Gruda collected 38 points by the specialist jury to beat Anete Jekabsone-Zogota and Evanthia Maltsi who came second and third respectively with 27 and 25 votes each.
Gruda is only the third French player to win this award since its creation in 1979.
The two previous French winners were Isabelle Fijakowski (1997) and Cathy Melain (2000).
Gruda succeeds five-time winner Ann Wauters.
La Gazzetta dello Sport
European Women Basketball Player of the year recipients
European Women Basketball Player of the year recipients
2009 Sandrine Gruda
2008 Ann Wauters
2007 Anete Jekabsone-Zogota
2006 Maria Stepanova
2005 Ann Wauters
2004 Ann Wauters
2003 Agnieszcka Bibrzycka
2002 Ann Wauters
2001 Ann Wauters
2000 Cathy Melain
1999 Malgorzata Dydek
1998 Elena Baranova
1997 Isabelle Fijakowski
1996 Eva Nemcova
1995 Razijca Mujanovic
1994 Razijca Mujanovic
1993 Natalia Zassoulskaja
1992 Natalia Zassoulskaja
1991 Razijca Mujanovic
1990 Danira Nakic
1989 Danira Nakic
1988 Danira Nakic
1987 Catarina Pollini
1986 Catarina Pollini
1985 Agnes Nemeth
1984 Catarina Pollini
1983 Catarina Pollini
1982 Zsuzsa Boksay
1981 Zorica Djurkovic
1980 Zorica Djurkovic
1979 Uljana Semjonova
Playing basketball abroad is second nature to Sandrine Gruda
Return to French basketball players abroad index page
Return from La Gazzetta dello Sport awards to "What's New" page
Picture credits:
womensbasketball-in-france.com
Date Created: 10 January 2010
