Naoko Sahara

Naoko Sahara
Personal information
NationalityJapanese
Born (1996-01-18) 18 January 1996 (age 30)
Height1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Sport
SportHandball
PositionLine player
Current clubHokkoku Bank
Number13
National team
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2021- Japan 31 (44)
Medal record
Women's handball
Representing  Japan
Asian Games
Gold medal – first place2022 HangzhouTeam
Silver medal – second place2026 Aichi–NagoyaTeam
Asian Championship
Silver medal – second place2022 South Korea
Updated on 27 November 2025

Naoko Sahara (born 18 January 1996) is a Japanese female handball player for Hokkoku Bank and the Japanese national team.

She represented Japan at the 2021 World Women's Handball Championship in Spain. She represented Japan again at the 2025 World Championship.

At the 2022 Asian Championship, she won silver medals, losing to South Korea in the final. At this occasion she was chosen for the tournament MVP.

References

  1. ↑ "おりひめJAPAN　新メンバー決定！". handball.or.jp (in Japanese). Japan Handball Association. 4 November 2021. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
  2. ↑ "Team Roster Japan" (PDF). ihf.info. International Handball Federation. 7 December 2021. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
  3. ↑ "第27回女子世界選手権 代表メンバー決定‼". handball.or.jp (in Japanese). Japan Handball Association. Retrieved 11 November 2025.
  4. ↑ "Republic of Korea won the Asian Women's Handball Championship after a thrilling final". asianhandball.org. Asian Handball Federation. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
  5. ↑ "19AWHC Final Ranking". asianhandball.org. Asian Handball Federation. Retrieved 20 April 2024.