Former world No. 1 Momota announces retirement from international badminton

PETALING JAYA: Former world No. 1 men’s singles shuttler Kento Momota has announced his retirement from international badminton at the age of 29.

In a press conference in Tokyo earlier Thursday (April 18), Momota said the upcoming Thomas Cup in Chengdu on April 28th will be his last outing with the Japanese national team.

Momota boasts a fantastic record at the peak of his career, winning the World Championships and Asian Championships back-to-back in 2018 and 2019,

However, Momota could never bounce back from the terrible car crash four years ago that came after his win at the 2020 Malaysia Masters.

The accident killed the driver and left Momota needing surgery to repair his eye socket, but the Japanese player never fully bounced back from the incident and has struggled to keep up since.