Aaron Grandidier-Nkanang
French rugby union player (born 2000)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Aaron Grandidier-Nkanang (born 18 May 2000) is an English-born French professional rugby union player who plays wing or full back for Top 14 club Pau and the France national team. He won a gold medal as part of the France national rugby sevens team at the 2024 Paris Olympics.[3]
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| Born | 18 May 2000[1] Bromley, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Height | 186 cm (6 ft 1 in)[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 94 kg (207 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| University | St Mary's University, Twickenham | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Early and personal life
Born to a Nigerian father and French mother, Grandidier grew up in Bromley. He was a keen basketball player in his youth.[4] He is also a DJ, under the moniker 'Aztec'.[5] His younger sister is the singer-songwriter Amie Blu.[6]
Grandidier-Nkanang attended St Olave's Grammar School. He initially intended to study design at Loughborough University, but earned a scholarship to St Mary's University, Twickenham that allowed him to continue playing rugby at his local club.[7]
Club career
He started playing rugby at St Olave's Grammar School in London and played at county level for Kent U18 and joined his first amateur club Old Elthamians. He joined CA Brive in 2019.[7]
Brive
In 2019, he signed for French club Brive. In December 2021, he made his senior debut in the Challenge Cup during a loss against Leicester Tigers, going on to feature in the following round against Zebre. In September 2022, he made his Top 14 debut during a 12–6 victory against Castres.[8]
Pau
He signed for Section Paloise ahead of the 2024–25 season.[9] In September 2024, he made his debut for the club 49–25 victory against La Rochelle in the Top14.[10][11]
In September 2025, he scored his first try of the season in a 34–10 victory against Stade Français.[12] That same month, he also extended his current deal with the club until 2029.[13] In October 2025, he scored two tries in a 30–26 victory against Toulouse.[14]
International career
In 2022, he made his debut for the senior France national rugby sevens team. At the Hong Kong sevens during the 2022-23 SVNS season he scored a French record 11 tries in a single weekend.[15][16]
In July 2024, he was confirmed in the French team for the 2024 Paris Olympics.[17] He scored twice in the quarter-final against Argentina to help France reach the semi-finals of the tournament.[18] In November 2024, he was nominated for World Rugby Men's Sevens Player of the Year at the World Rugby Awards.[19]
In October 2025, he was selected for the senior squad ahead of the 2025 Autumn Nations Series.[20] In July 2026, Grandidier-Nkanang was named for his France debut against Australia in the inaugural Nations Championship in Brisbane, scoring two tries in a 42-26 victory.[21]