CHENGDU: Singles shuttler Kento Momota looked fit as a fiddle and as friendly as ever when he showed up for training at the Hi-Tech Sports Centre Gymnasium.
Still a crowd favourite, the two-time world champion is saving his best for last in the Thomas Cup Finals in Chengdu, starting today.
After that, he will wave goodbye to his rollercoaster career over a decade.
He is keen to go out on a high by capturing the Thomas Cup Finals title with Japan again.
Momota played an important lead role in his team’s historic triumph in the tournament in 2014 in New Delhi when he was only 19.
Ten years down the road, Momota can still make an impact but as the third singles for his team.
The 29-year-old has failed to recapture his best form following a serious car accident in 2020 that left him with eye and facial injuries.
He has dropped down to No. 52 in the world rankings behind his teammates Kodai Naraoka (No. 5), Kenta Nishimoto (No. 11) and Koki Watanabe (No. 22) but is still determined to make a difference for the team if given the opportunity.
“I want to win the title here in my last international badminton tournament,” said Momota after a training session yesterday.
“The third singles is a very important position as the fate of the team rests on me.
“I just want to play my best and try to get the best result that I can for the team.”
The doubles pairs in the team are 2021 world champions Takuro Hoki-Yugo Kobayashi, Akira Koga-Taichi Saito and Kenya Mitsuhashi-Hiroki Okamura.
Japan have been placed in the same group as Taiwan, Germany and Czech Republic and should have no problems qualifying for the last eight.
They will open their campaign against the Czechs tomorrow.
