"Noriko Sato soared through the middle of the action to seize the Snitch"
-- match report Japan v Nigeria, Daily Prophet, 10 June 2014 (Pm)
Noriko Sato played as Seeker for the Japanese National Team at the Quidditch World Cup tournament in 2014 (Pm).
Described as a “gifted” Seeker, Sato was a member of the Japanese team at the 2014 tournament (Pm).
Japan won their their first match in the Round of 16 against Poland (350-140) and their quarter-final match versus Nigeria (270-100). During the semi-final match against the Bulgarian team, Sato rescued Bulgarian Beater Boris Vulchanov who had been knocked out by a Bludger. While helping him, she was unable to keep looking for the Snitch, so Seeker Viktor Krum also refrained from doing so, sportsmanship that was applauded by the crowd. In the end, Japan lost to Bulgaria by 610 points to 460 (Pm).
Following “one of the most spectacular dives of the tournament” by Sato, Japan won against the United States to secure third place overall (Pm).
Other canon notes and references
Since Viktor Krum, born 1976, was the oldest player at the tournament (Pm), Sato must have been born after 1976.
As she comes from Japan, Sato will have attended the Mahoutokoro Wizarding School, as all the members of the Japanese national side are said to have done so (Pm).
Commentary
Etymology
Noriko is a female Japanese name probably derived from 法 (nori) meaning "law, rule", or 典 (nori) meaning "rule, ceremony", combined with 子 (ko) meaning "child" (Behind the Name).
Sato is the most common Japanese surname, often spelled Satō (さとう, 佐藤), meaning "sugar". There are many people with this surname, among them prime ministers, composers and athletes (Wikipedia).
Notes
Lexicon list of Seekers
From the Web
Writing by J.K. Rowling on Pottermore:
- History of the Quidditch World Cup
- 2014 Quidditch World Cup reports
- 2014 Quidditch World Cup final
- The Daily Prophet
Pottermore enhanced reading experience: Quidditch World Cup
Screenshots of the original Daily Prophet coverage of the 2014 Quidditch World Cup on Pottermore: Imgur archive
Harry Potter Wiki: Noriko Sato
Pensieve (Comments)
Tags: athletes competitions/competitors exciting international match skills sports sportsmanship talented teammates teams tournaments
