LEYNAUD Amandine

General
COACHING ROLE
In January 2020 she signed a one-year contract extension with Hungarian handball club Gyori Audi ETO KC, where she will also take up a role as a goalkeeping coach from mid-2020. "I am delighted to stay in Gyor, as everything is here for high-quality and successful work. I was happy to be able to get my new role, not just as a goalkeeper, but as a coach." (gyorietokc.hu, 28 Jan 2020; handball-planet.com, 31 Jan 2020)

INTERNATIONAL RETIREMENT
She plans to retire from the French national team after the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. (sport24.lefigaro.fr, 20 Mar 2019)

GOALKEEPING
She began playing as a goalkeeper at an early age as her team did not have a specific player for that position. "Everyone would have their time in goal. Apparently I was not too bad at it. As time went by I had to make a decision between being a field player or goalkeeper. I liked being in goal more." She believes goalkeeping plays a key role in a team. "The more balls you stop, the better you get. At a young age there aren't too many who want to be at the goal, because it is commonly related to those who do not play well or who do not know how to catch the ball. But actually, at professional level, it is most important position within a team. Goalkeepers have a lot of responsibilities. It becomes quite the opposite, and that's cool." (lalsace.fr, 29 Nov 2018)

She was a member of the French team that won silver at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, the first time France had won a medal in women's handball at the Olympic Games. She was also a member of the French team that won gold at the 2018 European Championships, the first time France had been crowned European champions in women's handball. (olympic.org, 05 Sep 2016; SportsDeskOnline, 22 Aug 2019; en.rfi.fr, 17 Dec 2018)