The Sisterhood of Japanese Volleyball

The world of elite sports has witnessed many famous golden couples. And among them, the Koga - Nishida duo of Japanese volleyball is remembered as "the love story of sisters".

Koga (left) and her husband Nishida (right) - Photo: YT

Love the same volleyball team jersey

Recently, former captain of the Japanese women's volleyball team Koga Sarina posted on Instagram a set of wedding photos taken earlier this year, officially revealing that the wedding took place at the end of June between her and her husband, Yuji Nishida.

Although they got married at the end of 2022, it wasn't until the summer of 2025 that the two got married, and also publicly released detailed photos of the ceremony held in Fukuoka.

Along with sharing their emotions about the big day, the Nishida couple also confirmed the good news: they are expecting their first child, the announcement will be officially made in early August.

The volleyball world has sent their blessings to Koga and Nishida - a romantic sister-brother relationship.

Koga and Nishida's wedding photo - Photo: INSTAGRAM

Koga and Nishida's love story started like any other sports couple. They came together through a shared passion and spirit of competing for the national team, and overcoming age barriers.

Koga (wife) was born in 1996, and Nishida (husband) was born in 2000, 4 years younger than her lover. When Koga became famous in the Japanese women's volleyball team (since she was 19 years old), Nishida was still a kid.

Koga is the captain of the women's team, Nishida is the main opposing player of the men's team. In the eyes of many, Nishida's reputation makes them admire him, but as for Koga, she admitted that at first she didn't like this "kid" very much.

"When he first became famous, I met him a few times. To be honest, at first I was a bit offended by his style - I was his Nishida. But that was just the initial feeling.

The more I interacted with him, the more I realized that he was a serious and extremely disciplined person. He was meticulous in the way he played and in every detail of his daily life," Koga shared.

Keep it professional till the end

Just like that, the "sisters" became more and more familiar through major tournaments. Although they played for two different volleyball teams, both men and women, they still occasionally accompanied each other at sports events, such as the Asian Games and the Olympics.

Although Koga is four years older, there is no indication that their relationship ever encountered any significant resistance from family, club or colleagues.

On the contrary, the media calls them the "power couple" of Japanese volleyball, but fans prefer the title "sister-brother love".

Daily photos of the couple - Photo: PA

By the end of 2022, the two suddenly announced their marriage, with the following status on Instagram: “We are still young, but we are very grateful to life for giving us the opportunity to meet each other. We are both athletes, we will certainly face many challenges, but we will overcome them together.”

Koga once shared that she found great encouragement whenever Nishida played well, and Nishida admitted that seeing Koga giving his all, he knew he had met someone who understood his profession and himself.

They kept their relationship a secret during the peak of their careers, to avoid disrupting the team environment. When they announced their marriage, both were already key players, and chose to keep their personal lives private to continue contributing.

Koga and Nishida were so professional that it took 3 years after registering their marriage before they got married.

During a fashion photo shoot - Photo: INSTAGRAM

The wedding ceremony was held privately on June 28, 2025 in Fukuoka, inviting only family and closest colleagues - including teammates on the national team.

Koga was the one who chose to sacrifice when the two officially lived together. At the end of 2024, she decided to retire at the age of 28 - still quite young, especially with the familiar Japanese tenacity.

And when the two announced their wedding, as well as their recent pregnancy with their first child, fans were even more touched by their beautiful love story. They chose to be together 3 years ago, but still patiently waited to continue contributing to the national team.

Koga Sarina was born in 1996 in Saga, played for NEC Red Rockets from 2015 until retiring after the 2024 Paris Olympics.

She began to emerge from high school with a series of MVP and Best Scorer titles at the 2012 Asian Youth Games, then won a world bronze medal with the U‑23 team and received the Best Outside Hitter award.

At NEC, Koga won the V.League MVP for many seasons, leading the team to the championship of the Nhat Hoang Cup, V.League season 2022-2023 and 2023-2024, she was continuously a member of the Best6 list and played a responsible main striker role. On the national team, Koga and Japan won the U17 Asian Gold Medal, the Asian Championship 2017 Gold Medal, and the World VNL 2024 Silver Medal, she was selected as the Best Outside Hitter of the VNL tournament.

Nishida Yuji was born in 2000 in Mie, comes from a family with siblings involved in volleyball, and was influenced from a young age.

He debuted in V.League with JTEKT Stings in 2018, immediately making his mark with the Rookie of the Year award and was quickly called up to the Japanese men's team. In 2019, he broke the VNL record with 7 aces in one match, won Best Server and Best Opposite at the World Cup, along with the titles of MVP V.League 2019‑2020, Best Scorer, Best Opposite and consecutively won the Emperor's Cup MVP in the following years, and other outstanding titles.

After a short time playing in Italy (Volley Callipo 2021‑2022 season), he returned to Japan and played for Osaka Bluteon (Panasonic Panthers) from 2023. He played a key role in the national team, winning bronze medal in the 2023 Nations League, gold medal in the Asian Championship and silver medal in the 2024 VNL.

HUY DANG

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/chuyen-tinh-chi-em-cua-bong-chuyen-nhat-ban-20250805130443257.htm