:Sakura Hauge

{{Short description|Norwegian Japanese handball player (born 1987)}}

{{Infobox handball biography

| name = Sakura Hauge

| image = Sakura Hauge 20180203.jpg

| caption = Hauge in 2018

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1987|1|7|df=y}}

| birth_place = Bergen, Norway

| nationality = Norwegian
Japanese

| height = 1.73 m

| position = Goalkeeper

| currentclub = ŽRK Budućnost Podgorica

| clubnumber = 87

| years1 =

| clubs1 = IL Gneist

| years2 = {{0|0000}}–2007

| clubs2 = Nordstrand IF

| years3 = 2007–2014

| clubs3 = Tertnes HE

| years4 = 2014–2018

| clubs4 = Vipers Kristiansand

| years5 = 2018–2019

| clubs5 = Nykøbing Falster Håndbold

| years6 = 2019–2024

| clubs6 = ESBF Besançon

| years7 = 2024–

| clubs7 = ŽRK Budućnost Podgorica

| nationalyears1 = 2014

| nationalteam1 = Norway

| nationalcaps1 = 2

| nationalgoals1 = 0

| nationalyears2 = 2015–

| nationalteam2 = Japan

| nationalcaps2 = 45

| nationalgoals2 = 5

| medaltemplates =

}}

Sakura Hauge, also known as {{Nihongo|Sakura Kametani|亀谷さくら|Kametani Sakura|born 7 January 1987}}, is a Norwegian-born Japanese handball goalkeeper for ŽRK Budućnost Podgorica and the Japanese national team.[http://www.eurohandball.com/player/523502 EHF profile]{{Dead link|date=February 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

Club career

Hauge began her career playing for the Bergen-based club IL Gneist,{{cite news|last1=Kolstad|first1=Jan Gunnar|last2=Gjerstad|first2=Linn|date=24 March 2014|title=Tertnes mister keeperen|url=http://www.ba.no/sport/tertnes-mister-keeperen/s/1-41-7250460|newspaper=Bergensavisen|access-date=13 December 2015|language=Norwegian}} before joining the club Stabæk IF in Bærum. After Stabæk, she played for Nordstrand IF.{{cite web|url=http://vipers.no/2014/09/01/spillerprofil-sakura-hauge/|title=Spillerprofil Sakura Hauge|author=|website=Vipers Kristiansand|access-date=13 December 2015|language=Norwegian}} Beginning in 2007, Hauge played for the club Tertnes HE in Bergen for seven seasons. In 2014, she joined the club Vipers Kristiansand in Kristiansand, signing a two-year contract.{{cite news|last=Stensland|first=Rune|date=24 March 2014|title=Sakura Hauge klar for Vipers|url=http://www.aftenposten.no/100Sport/handball/Sakura-Hauge-klar-for-Vipers-427234_1.snd|newspaper=Aftenposten|access-date=13 December 2015|language=Norwegian}} Hauge signed a new two-year contract with Vipers Kristiansand in 2016.{{cite news|last=Sundvor|first=Ron Henning|date=22 February 2016|title=Vipers holder på stjernene|url=http://www.aftenbladet.no/100Sport/handball/Vipers-holder-pa-stjernene-696385_1.snd|newspaper=Stavanger Aftenblad|access-date=11 March 2016|language=Norwegian}}

National teams

From 2003 to 2005 Hauge played eight matches for the Norway women's national youth handball team. Before that she had played 14 matches for the junior handball team.{{cite news |last=Sandvik |first=Trond |date=8 January 2014 |title=Avskiltet landslagskeeper kritiserer Thorir |url=http://www.bt.no/100Sport/handball/Avskiltet-landslagskeeper-kritiserer-Thorir-411616_1.snd |newspaper=Bergens Tidende |access-date=20 December 2015 |language=Norwegian }} Although amongst the players chosen for the Norway women's national handball team in the 2010 European Women's Handball Championship, and being a candidate for the Norwegian team at the 2012 Summer Olympics,{{cite news |last=Pileby |first=Axel |date=8 January 2014 |title=Efter tystnaden – sågar förbundskaptenen |url=http://www.expressen.se/sport/handboll/efter-tystnaden---sagar-forbundskaptenen/ |newspaper=Expressen |access-date=13 December 2015 |language=Swedish }} she then did not play for Norway on a national level before 2014. In 2014 Hauge played two recruit level matches against Sweden, in one of which she was declared Most Valuable Player.{{cite news |last=Sandvik |first=Trond |date=17 June 2015 |title=Landslagsmålvakt vraker Norge for Japan |url=http://www.aftenposten.no/100Sport/handball/Landslagsmalvakt-vraker-Norge-for-Japan-553340_1.snd |newspaper=Aftenposten |access-date=13 December 2015 |language=Norwegian }} In the early 2010s Hauge suffered from jumper's knee.

Citing disillusionment with her lack of prospects at the Norwegian national team, Hauge joined the Japan women's national handball team in 2015, having contacted the Japanese team the previous year.{{cite news |last=Sørensen |first=Ole G. |date=26 November 2015 |title=Klar for VM – for Japan |url=http://www.kristiansandavis.no/?id=1752 |newspaper=Kristiansand Avis |access-date=13 December 2015 |language=Norwegian }} When playing for Japan, she is known as Sakura Kametani.{{cite news |last=Thrane |first=Kasper Aleksander |date=4 December 2015 |title=Japans målmand taler norsk og lærer Japan at være glade |url=http://www.dr.dk/sporten/haandbold/vm-kvinder/japans-maalmand-taler-norsk-og-laerer-japan-vaere-glade#!/ |publisher=DR |access-date=14 December 2015 |language=Danish }} She played three matches for Japan in the 2015 World Women's Handball Championship in Denmark,{{cite web |url=http://ihf.info/files/CompetitionData/1a09fa5c-ab1f-4b5b-b0c0-5eee5435d1d4/pdf/JPN.pdf |title=XXII Women's World Championships 2015 Denmark team roster Japan |author= |date=11 December 2015 |website=International Handball Federation |access-date=14 December 2015 }} where Japan ended on 19th place.{{cite news |last=Folvik |first=Herman |date=14 December 2015 |title=Vipers-jenter kjemper om VM-gull: – Pettersen tror Nederland kan utfordre Norge |url=http://www.aftenposten.no/100Sport/handball/Vipers-jenter-kjemper-om-VM-gull---Pettersen-tror-Nederland-kan-utfordre-Norge-656512_1.snd |newspaper=Aftenposten |access-date=15 December 2015 |language=Norwegian }}

In the 2017 World Women's Handball Championship in Germany, she was the leading goalkeeper throughout the tournament for Japan. She played all 6 matches and also scored her first goal for the national team. In the last match, the eight-finals against Netherlands, she was named player of the match after Japan lost 24–26 after extra time.{{Cite web |url=http://ihf.info/files/CompetitionData/b7fe36bb-2a18-4340-a6e0-6b148a154448/pdf/74OMR.PDF |title=Archived copy |access-date=2017-12-13 |archive-date=2017-12-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171212084832/http://www.ihf.info/files/CompetitionData/b7fe36bb-2a18-4340-a6e0-6b148a154448/pdf/74OMR.PDF |url-status=dead }}

Achievements

EHF Cup:
Finalist: 2018
Norwegian League:
Winner: 2017/2018 (Vipers)
Norwegian Cup:
Winner: 2017
Finalist: 2013
Danish Cup:
Winner: 2018
Carpathian Trophy:
Winner: 2019

Individual awards

Carpathian Trophy Best Goalkeeper: 2019

Personal life

Hauge was born in Bergen, Norway, to a Japanese mother and a Norwegian father. She grew up in her father's home town of Bergen. In primary and secondary school, she received Japanese language lessons (mother tongue instruction). During her childhood, the family would holiday in Hauge's mother's home town of Okayama. From age 15 to 20, she lived in Oslo.