Original title: Olympic dream is hard to come true, Momota Kento bids farewell amidst cheers
On the afternoon of the 3rd, the 2024 Chengdu Thomas and Uber Cup press conference was packed with reporters from all over the world, which shocked the protagonist of the press conference, Japanese badminton player Kento Momota. This is his farewell press conference.
“I am very grateful to all the fans for supporting me for so long. My international competition career is officially over, but I will continue to play badminton. I hope we will meet in some form in the future, thank you!”
On May 3, Momota Kento left the stage after the press conference.Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Jia Haocheng
On the evening of the 2nd, the Japanese team lost to the Malaysian team 1:3 and stopped in the Thomas Cup quarterfinals. Momota, who serves as the third singles player, had won all three appearances in the group stage before, but this night he did not get the chance to play to save the team’s fate. The once most dominant men’s singles player in the world’s badminton world ended his last dance in the international arena before the Paris Olympics.
After all, he missed the Olympic gold medal he had longed for since his youth.
On May 2, Japanese team player Kento Momota greeted the audience after the game.Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Jia Haocheng
Ten years ago, at the 2014 Thomas Cup in New Delhi, the 19-year-old Momota came to prominence. As the second singles player, he defeated a strong player in five games and helped the Japanese team win the first Thomas Cup in history.
In the past ten years, Momota’s badminton life has been intertwined with unattainable glory and unexpected ups and downs.
For Momota, winning the soup cup in 2014 was just the beginning. In 2015, he won the Singapore Open and Indonesian Open, and defeated Axelsen in the BWF Tour year-end finals that year. His world ranking jumped from 135th to the top three…
While the young man was high on the field, he also experienced loss and hesitation.
On the eve of the 2016 Rio Olympics, Momota was sentenced to an indefinite ban for participating in gambling in an illegal casino and missed the Olympics. After a year of silence, Momota, who had reformed, was lifted from the ban.
People found that the once misguided genius boy became humble and low-key. Momota started from the lowest level of the league and quickly returned to the top. In 2018, he won Japan’s first world championship. In 2019, he was even more unstoppable. He defended the world championship and won 11 championships in a single season… At his peak, Momota was the most dominant men’s singles player.
On August 25, 2019, Japanese player Kento Momota greeted the audience after winning the World Championships.Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Li Jundong
Winning the Olympics in the local Olympics – when this dream became more and more clear, difficulties followed one after another. At the beginning of 2020, Momota was diagnosed with an orbital floor fracture in his right eye after a car accident. After surgical treatment, he began a long recovery. At the beginning of 2021, Momota, who had just returned from injury, was diagnosed with the new coronavirus.
After a series of blows, Momota made it to the Tokyo Olympics as he wished, but failed in the group stage due to poor condition. The impact of the car accident and COVID-19 is difficult to reverse. “I have been chasing the person I remember, but I have never been able to catch up.”
On July 25, 2021, Kento Momota after the badminton men’s singles group match of the Tokyo Olympics.Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Li Yibo
After the Tokyo Olympics, Momota did not give up his Olympic dream, but his body was no longer at its peak and the dream was unsustainable. Before this Thomas Cup, Momota, ranked 52nd in the world, had already confirmed that he would not qualify for the Paris Olympics. He announced that he would retire from the national team and bid farewell to the international arena after this Thomas Cup.
In the farewell game, Momota seemed relaxed and carefree, enjoying the enthusiasm of the fans. “Every time I made a move, the audience would applaud and cheer. I completely melted into this atmosphere.” Former opponents such as Axelsen and Ginting sent him blessings during the interview. Shi Yuqi said in Japanese, “It’s a pity to retire. Come on.” Chen Long, who retired, also came to the stadium to say goodbye to him.
On April 28, Japanese team player Kento Momota thanked the fans during the Thomas Cup group match.Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Hou Zhaokang
“It is a very happy thing to end my Japanese national team career with the support of so many people.” Looking back on his ten-year national team career, Momota is calm and grateful: “My life was not so smooth, and there were also very painful moments. But every time I win or see so many people supporting me, it’s a reason for me to keep playing.”
In 2012, Momota won Japan’s first World Youth Championship. The 18-year-old told reporters after the game: “My dream is to win an Olympic medal.”
“what colour?”
“gold.”
The golden dream ultimately failed to materialize into reality. But through ups and downs and pursuing his dreams, Momota also wrote his own golden badminton career. (Reporters Tian Guangyu, Ji Ye, Xu Shihao)
(Editors: Yang Yuboluo, Li Nanhua)
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2024-05-04 00:34:15
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