- Two-time world champion Kento Momota declared his retirement from competitive badminton.
- With 11 titles won in 2019 and only six losses in 73 matches, Momota was once the uncontested badminton king.
- Viktor Axelsen overtook Momota and said he enjoyed playing with him.
Two-time world champion Kento Momota, who is 29 years old, declared his retirement from competitive badminton and acknowledged that he hasn’t been the same since a catastrophic automobile accident four years ago.
With 11 titles won in 2019 and only six losses in 73 matches, Momota was once the uncontested badminton king. But in January 2020, only hours after he had won the Malaysia Masters, the car that was bringing him to the airport in Kuala Lumpur crashed.
Momota
In addition to needing surgery to fix a damaged eye socket, the driver died. After missing a year, Momota was plagued with double vision and was unable to reclaim the brilliant form that had propelled him to the top of the global rankings.
After competing in the Thomas and Uber Cup in China later this month, Momota, who is now rated 52 and missed out on a spot at the Olympics in Paris, will announce his retirement from the Japan national team. He’s not going to compete on the badminton world tour; he’ll just play in Japan’s home events.
After the accident, Momota acknowledged that there were difficult moments, but he refused to attribute the difficulties to the mishap. He was determined to recover from it, and with the help of others around him, he was able to gain some traction.
The world’s finest men’s basketball player, Viktor Axelsen, overtook Momota and said he enjoyed playing with him. Momota had set his sights on the Olympics in Paris, but his country’s standing prevented him from being selected for Japan’s squad.
He was disqualified from the 2016 Rio Olympics selection process due to his involvement with an illicit casino. When the Japanese team entered the court in Paris for the Olympics, Momota advised his teammates to learn from his mistakes and maintain composure.
