Hanami Saito
Japanese field hockey player
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Hanami Saito (齋藤 はなみ, born 5 June 2004) is a field hockey player from Japan.[1][2]
Yamagata Prefecture, Japan
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born |
5 June 2004 Yamagata Prefecture, Japan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 158 cm (5 ft 2 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 56 kg (123 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Defence | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current club | Crowning Glories | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Caps | Goals | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023– | Japan U–21 | 21 | (9) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2024– | Japan | 9 | (2) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Personal life
Hanami Saito was born on 5 June 2004, in the Yamagata Prefecture.[3][4]
She is a former student of Yonezawa Commercial High School.[5]
Career
Domestic league
In the Japanese national league, Matsunami represents the Crowning Glories.[1][4][6]
Under–21
Saito made her junior international debut in 2023. She made her first appearances for the Japanese U–21 team during a test series against Australia in the Gold Coast.[7] She went on to represent Japan again at the Junior Asian Cup in Kakamigahara, winning a bronze medal.[7][8][9] To close out 2023, Saito represented Japan again at the FIH Junior World Cup in Santiago, concluding the tournament with a seventh-place finish.[7][10]
In 2024 she was a member of the junior squad at the Junior Asian Cup in Muscat.[7]
Cherry Blossoms
In 2024, Saito was named in the senior national team for the first time. She made her international debut at the Asian Champions Trophy in Rajgir.[11] At the tournament she scored her first international goal for Japan, helping the team to a bronze medal.[12]
She was named in the squad for the 2024–25 FIH Nations Cup in Santiago.[1][7]
International goals
The following is a list of goals scored by Saito at international level.[7]
| Goal | Date | Location | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14 November 2024 | Rajgir Sports Complex Hockey Stadium, Rajgir, India |  China | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2024 Asian Champions Trophy | [13] |
| 2 | 26 February 2025 | Centro Deportivo de Hockey Césped Estadio Nacional, Santiago, Chile |  United States | 2–4 | 2–4 | 2024–25 FIH Nations Cup | [14] |