Through it all, Sara says her religion kept her grounded.
“I believe that if I do my best with everything, the best will come back to me. You have to work with all that you have. And then say, ‘I did my best’, and leave it to God so He guides your journey.”
That is who she turns to before every game.
“I pray and say, “God please help this to be a great game or tournament”.
It is that same faith that guides what she wears on court. Sara is the first FIBA referee to wear a hijab at international level, following a rule change in 2017.
The reaction, Sara says, has been entirely positive.
“Some players even say my outfit is cool,” she says. “It’s good for me that I’ve opened a route for more female referees to be true to their faith and dreams.”
She says young women referees in her home country often write to her, saying that they thought “they had no chance of being in big tournaments or to travel all over the world”.
“I tell them you can do better than me. You can achieve all your goals anywhere you want. You have the power to do it.
“It’s a big honour that they can think about their future as referees and see that if they work hard they will achieve their dreams.”
That is what she wants the young Muslim girls watching her around the world to take from her success, as they see her courtside in Tokyo.
“Put your focus on being the best and set your goal high, then you can reach the highest thing. I believe that we women have magic powers. We are very, very strong.”