Kento Momota to spend one more night in hospital, says doc

PUTRAJAYA: Japanese ace shuttler Kento Momota will spend another night at Putrajaya Hospital as doctors continue to monitor his recovery from his road accident injuries.

The hospital's deputy director, Dr Muhd Siv Merican Abdullah assured that Momota and the three other victims of Monday morning (Jan 13)'s crash on Maju Expressway are "in good hands".

"We still have to monitor them... so definitely (would not be discharged) today. He will stay one more night. They are in good hands, don't worry," said Dr Muhd Siv to reporters here on Tuesday (Jan 14).

Earlier, he accompanied Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, who came to the hospital to visit the victims.

Dr Wan Azizah, who is also Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) patron, said the four were in stable condition and recovering well.

"He (Momota) is stable and the doctor said his condition can be overcome. He needs a bit more time for the swelling to subside.

"I also met the other three. All of them are being given the best treatment and are on the road to full recovery.

"I told Momota that I brought him 'madu kelulut' (stingless bee honey) which can help him with the recovery," said Dr Wan Azizah to reporters.

She said Momota has a fracture to his nasal bone, which she said would usually take about six months to heal.

At 4.45am on Monday, a van carrying the four crashed into a lorry as they were on their way to KL International Airport, following the conclusion of the 2020 Perodua Malaysian Masters badminton tournament.

Momota, who is the men's singles world number one, had just won the championship after beating Denmark's Viktor Axelsen in the final.

Van driver N. Bavan, 25, was killed on the scene.

The other passengers were assistant coach Yu Hirayama, 35, physiotherapist Akifumi Morimoto, 42, and Badminton World Federation technical officer William Thomas, 30.

Dr Wan Azizah said the accident was much regretted.

"These are things that cannot be expected. We do not wish for such accidents to happen to anyone," she said.