Athlete of the Week: Handballer Sorina Grozav
Grozav put on a stellar performance in the two-leg matchup with Slovakia in the EHF Euro Cup 2026
Florin Orban, 10.03.2026, 13:45
The Romanian women’s handball team is currently competing in the EHF EURO Cup 2026. This specific tournament is reserved for the five host nations of this year’s European Championship: Poland, Romania, Czechia, Slovakia and Turkey, who are exempt from the standard qualifiers. They are joined by powerhouse teams Norway, Denmark and Hungary.
Romania competes in Group A and has played four matches to date. After a narrow away defeat to Norway in October 2025, they bounced back with a home win against Poland. Last week, the Romanian side dominated Slovakia twice: first with a 32–26 away win on Thursday, followed by a clinical 32–19 victory at home in Bistrița on Sunday.
The standout performer for the Romanian side was Sorina Grozav, who netted 10 goals in the away fixture and 7 in the return match. Grozav currently leads the competition’s scoring charts with 32 goals, ahead of Norway’s Ella Reistad, who sits on 25. For her remarkable performance, Radio Romania International has designated her Athlete of the Week.
Born in Râmnicu Vâlcea on May 27, 1999, Grozav hails from a long line of sporting tradition. Her mother, Mariana Tîrcă, is a legend of the game, holding a world record for national team scoring with 2,043 goals in 335 appearances for Romania.
Sorina began her journey at the National Center of Excellence in Râmnicu Vâlcea before making her senior debut at age 16 with Corona Brașov. In 2021, she moved to Rapid, helping the Bucharest side reach the Champions League quarter-finals in 2023, before returning to Corona last year. A left-inter by trade, she received her first senior international call-up back in 2016 for the Carpathian Trophy. (VP)
