Men’s singles badminton player Kento Momota announced his retirement from the Japanese national team , the Thomas Cup will be his last tournament with his country.
Momota said his last tournament for the Japanese national team will be the Thomas & Uber Cup Final on April 27 – May 5 in Chengdu, China.
Momota conveyed this decision in a press conference on Thursday (18/4/2024) afternoon Japan time.
On this occasion, Momota revealed that he felt he had reached the limits of his abilities both physically and mentally, and said.
“I decided that I couldn’t reach the point where I could aim to be the best in the world anymore,” said Momota, reported by Nikkei Japan.
After the tournament is over, the badminton player who was world champion in 2018 & 2019 will no longer join the Japanese national team squad .
However, Momota will continue to play badminton, only appearing domestically in the All Japan Championship and S/J League.
“I had a very satisfying career in the national team. (In the future) I want to do activities that allow many people to experience the joy of sports.” he said.
For your information, Momota became the first Japanese athlete to win the world championship in 2018, then the following year he also became champion again.
He missed the 2016 Rio Olympics due to suspension due to illegal gambling.
Momota was involved in a traffic accident in Malaysia in 2020 which almost cost him his life.
After the accident, his badminton career declined drastically.
The 2021 Tokyo Olympics, which faced being able to win a gold medal, ended with defeat in the first round.
In recent years, he suffered from injuries, and his chances of participating in the 2024 Paris Olympics went down the drain.