TOKYO – Two-time world champion Kento Momota, 29, is retiring from international badminton, ending a top-level career that never recovered from a car crash four years ago.
Momota, who had already missed out on the 2024 Paris Olympics, will play for Japan for the last time at the April 27-May 5 Thomas Cup in Chengdu, China, he confirmed at a press conference in Tokyo.
He will feature only in domestic competitions in Japan after that and not on badminton’s World Tour.
“I have made this decision because it feels like I have reached my physical and mental limit in trying to get back to being the best in the world,” said the former world No. 1, now ranked 52nd.
“I’ve realised I can no longer get back to the point where I’m aiming to be No. 1 in the world again.
“But I had a very fulfilling career playing for the national team.
“Now I want to be involved in helping all kinds of people find enjoyment in sports.”
Momota was once badminton’s undisputed king, winning 11 titles in 2019 and losing just six of the 73 matches he played that year.
But his life was turned upside down in January 2020 when the vehicle taking him to the Kuala Lumpur International Airport crashed hours after he won the Malaysia Masters.
The driver was killed and Momota needed surgery to repair a fractured eye socket.
He suffered double vision and struggled to regain his previous form when he returned to competition after a year out of action.
“There were a lot of tough times after that traffic accident,” he added. “I tried to get back to the way I used to play... but there was a gap between my feelings and my body.
“That continued and I knew I wouldn’t be able to get back to a level where I was competing with the world’s best.”
Following his accident, Momota failed to advance from the group stage at the Tokyo Games in 2021 and fell at the first hurdle in four of the first five tournaments he entered the following year.
He was also hampered by injuries and saw his world ranking plummet as rival Viktor Axelsen of Denmark established himself as badminton’s top player and the current world No. 1.
Momota, who was banned from selection for the 2016 Rio Olympics for gambling at an illegal casino, ended a two-year title drought when he won the Korea Masters in November 2023.
He had targeted to compete at the Paris Olympics but his national ranking was not good enough to earn him a spot in Japan’s team.
Smiling broadly throughout his 45-minute press conference but pausing often to choose the right words, the Japanese also said he had “no regrets” about retiring from top-level badminton.
He now wants to promote the sport in Japan and thanked those involved for helping him through his darkest hour.
Finally, he urged his Japan teammates to learn from his mistakes and keep calm when they step out onto the Olympic court in Paris.
“I really felt how difficult it was to do the things you do normally, so don’t think about the result, just give it your all so that you have no regrets,” he said. AFP, REUTERS
