Jayce
Japanese badminton star Kento Momota announced at a press conference in Tokyo today that he will officially retire from international competition after the Thomas and Uber Cup. His last match for the Japanese team will be the Thomas Cup finals held in Chengdu on April 27.
Momota stated, “I feel that there are limitations in challenging the world’s top level again both physically and mentally, so I made this decision. The achievements I have made so far are entirely thanks to NTT East Japan and other personnel supporting my activities, as well as all the fans who have supported me. I sincerely express my gratitude. Although I will retire from the Japanese national team, I will continue to compete. I will participate in domestic competitions and also be involved in badminton classes and other activities to contribute to the development of badminton. Please continue to support me.”
The two-time world champion is ranked 52nd in the Paris 2024 Olympic qualifiers and seventh in Japan. However, only the top two athletes from the national Olympic committee are eligible to participate in the Olympics. In 2019, Kento Momota won a record 11 titles on the BWF World Tour and was named the best male player. However, in January of the following year, he was involved in a near-fatal car accident in Kuala Lumpur. Momota returned to the court last December, but has not been the same since. The Kagawa native failed to shine at his home event in Tokyo and has only won two World Tour titles since the career-altering accident.
