Sport has the power to stir emotions across the whole spectrum, from heartbreak to ecstasy and it also has the power to make dreams come true.

For Kazakhstan goalkeeper Damira Zhaparova, the realisation of a dream could come true on Saturday 29 November 2025 when her side faces Olympic champions Norway in their 2025 IHF Women’s World Championship preliminary group game in Trier, Germany.

Like any handball fan, the chance to see in action, or even meet, Norway goalkeeper Katrine Lunde is a chance to be in the presence of a true sporting legend.

Now in her third decade of playing for her nation after making her debut in the early 2000s, Lunde is a multiple Olympic Games, World Championship, European Championship and Champions League gold medallist – in fact, the 45-year-old has so many medals and accolades, her English Wikipedia page has her honours list default on ‘Hide’, giving you the option to click on ‘Show’, as there are so many to list.

And it is no surprise that 19-year-old Zhaparova is excited to finally meet her. So excited that a tongue-in-cheek post on her social media saw her add Lunde via AI to a personal picture with the statement “I’m going to drop a real one soon”.

 

 

 

 

Vezi această postare pe Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

O postare distribuită de Zhaparova Damira | МСМК ПО ГАНДБОЛУ | ВРАТАРЬ (@zhaparovadamira12)

“I've never met Katrine Lunde in person before but I've been a fan of hers since childhood, and the thought of being able to play against her soon is simply indescribable,” says Zhaparova to ihf.info from Saudi Arabia, where she is currently playing in the Islamic Solidarity Games with her country.

“I adore her style of play, her emotions, and her fortitude, and I really strive to be just as strong on the court. She's a true role model for me and I hope this photo will soon become reality, because I really will play against her soon.

“I'm also a big fan of (former Netherlands’ goalkeeper) Tess Wester as well as Lunde. I've followed them for a long time. Their style of play, passion, and professionalism have always inspired me and motivated me to improve myself.”

This pure passion for handball is immediately evident with Zhaparova, who reels off more names of players she has shared the court with in her fledgling senior career, one which will see her appear in her second, consecutive world championship after appearing in all seven of Kazakhstan’s games at Denmark/Norway/Sweden 2023, making 26 saves and ending with an overall 25% save percentage.

“I remember my world championship debut very well. I was incredibly happy to play at it and against such strong teams like Brazil and Spain,” she said. 

“I got enough playing time and I think I played well. I had the honour of playing against players like Bruna de Paula, Gabriela Moreschi, Babi Arenhart and Darly Zoqbi de Paula. These matches gave me tremendous experience, inspired me to work even harder, and showed that I'm moving in the right direction.”

 

And that journey started thanks to an inspiration by someone very close to Damira, her older sister Aida.

“It was thanks to my sister that I started playing handball,” says Damira, referring to her centre back sibling, who is five years her elder.

“When I started, it was at the age of 10, in 2015 and I was immediately assigned to goal because the coach noticed my strong, large build and potential for the position and that's how my journey as a goalkeeper began.”

That journey has seen Damira play at a number of clubs around Kazakhstan, including current club HC Altay-Vostok (Ust-Kamenogorsk, Kazakhstan), plus Altai-Vostok (HC Astana (Astana), HC Shanyrak (Almaty) and HC Dostyk (Almaty).

She has also represented her country at all levels – youth, junior and now senior, with whom she has now passed 30 national team appearances, many of which were on court with her sister.

“My sister and I grew up in the sport together and now play for the national team, which makes our journey even more special and meaningful for both of us,” she says. “Aida currently plays for the AzerYol handball club in Azerbaijan, but that doesn't stop us from remaining very close and supporting each other both on and off the court.”

Her international career has seen her play in the Asian youth, junior and senior championships, world junior championships, Asian Games and now the senior world championships with her senior debut coming against Thailand on 27 November 2022 in Namdong-gu, Republic of Korea, at the Asian championships on her 17th birthday.

“I saved the first seven-metre penalty,” she says with a smile when looking back to her senior debut match three years ago. “By the way, our first world championship game will be against Angola on 27 November so I’ll be playing again on my birthday albeit this time as a 20-year-old,” she adds with another smile.

“But playing for the youth and junior national teams has given me tremendous experience and helped me develop as an athlete. These years have hardened me and prepared me for competing at the adult international level.”

 

While Zhaparova was not part of the squad which won bronze at the 2024 Asian championships last year in India to qualify for the world championship, she is well-aware of what another global qualification means for handball in her country – the fourth in a row after appearances in 2017, 2019, 2021 and 2023.

“I was incredibly happy for my team. The girls did a tremendous job in India and qualifying for this world championship was a well-deserved result. I'm proud of each of them and happy that our team has taken such a step forward,” says the goalkeeper, who will also face Republic of Korea in their preliminary world championship group.

“The fact that Kazakhstan is qualifying for our fourth consecutive world championship is the result of the tremendous work of our entire team, the coaching staff, the federation, and everyone who supports us. This shows that we are growing, becoming stronger, and confidently maintaining our place on the international stage.

“At Germany/Netherlands 2025 our goal is to play high-quality handball, fight in every match, and achieve the best possible result. The most important thing for us is to give it our all, support the team, and make our fans happy,” she adds.

“I'm looking forward to interesting, action-packed games and a lot of fighting on the court. It will be important to stay focused in every match and demonstrate teamwork. We're in for a good test of our strengths and abilities, and we're determined to give it our all, work hard, support each other and represent Kazakhstan with dignity on the international stage.”