Japan's most technically complete badminton player — World Champion 2017, Olympic bronze medallist and the player whose extraordinary speed and defensive ability in her 2017 World Championship semi-final against Tai Tzu-ying produced what many call the greatest match in badminton history.
Nozomi Okuhara was born in Yamaguchi, Japan in 1995. She won the World Championship in 2017 and Olympic bronze at Tokyo 2020. Her 2017 World Championship semi-final against Tai Tzu-ying — 111 minutes of play — is considered one of the longest and most gruelling individual performances in badminton history. She won the All England Open Championship and multiple BWF Super Series events. Her extraordinary speed, defensive range and ability to retrieve seemingly impossible positions made her one of the most physically complete players in women's badminton. She and Akane Yamaguchi formed one of the most celebrated national rivalries in Japanese badminton history.
World Champion 2017, Olympic medalist, defensive playing style
How They Played
Defensive counter-attacker with exceptional court coverage and endurance
Lasting Impact
One of Japan's greatest badminton players, known for incredible court coverage and stamina
World Champion 2017
Career Honours
- World Champion 2017
- Olympic Bronze 2020
- All England champion
- JWBF most celebrated player