Saori Kimura (3rd movie)

Saori Kimura was born on August 19th, 1986. She started to play volleyball when she was 8 years old. She has played at Shimokitazawa Seitoku High School and then Toray Arrows. After London Olympic Games she decided to play in Turkey, Vakifbank Turk Telekom. After one season she changed the club to Galatasaray Daikin. This year she announced to come back to Japan, Toray Arrows.

She was selected to the Japan women’s national team when she was 17 years old. She played at Athens, Beijing and London Olympic Games, and won the bronze medal at London Olympic Games. In 2013 she was chosen a captain of the Japan women’s national team and won the bronze medal at World Grand Champions Cup and the silver medal at World Grand Prix in 2014.

Saori Kimura has a very good reputation as an all-round volleyball player and she made her international debut in volleyball at the age of 17, at the World Cup 2003 and was called “Super Senior High-school girl” in those days. Despite a lack of international experience, Saori played with great confident, in particular, her instinctive sense of playing volleyball amazed everyone, even Yanagimoto, the former head coach of Japan’s squad who led the team since February 2003 and pretty experienced three Olympics in Athens 2004, in Beijing 2008 and in London in 2012 through these years.

Once more, Saori competed in the Olympics in Athens, in Beijing and in 2012 and everyone placed more expectations on her outstanding potential.

It hopes to be the fourth time for Saori to compete at the Olympics after London under the powerful leadership of Manabe, an enthusiastic head coach of Japan’s squad. During these four years, she has improved not only her volleyball skills but her mental strength as well.

Saori has a lot of respect for her mother. She loves collecting seals or post cards.

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