Home’s where the heartache is for Japan, China assured of gold

PETALING JAYA: Home jinx has struck Japan as almost all their players have packed their bags in the Olympic Games without winning any medals but China stayed cool to assure their first gold in badminton.

For Japan, the downfall started with the exit of world champion Kento Momota in the men’s singles group stage when he fell 15-21, 19-21 to South Korea’s Heo Kwang-hee but what came after was equally demoralising as they now have no representatives left in the men’s singles, men’s doubles and women’s doubles.