On 28 February, the official entry list for the 2024 Swiss Open Badminton Championships was changed – the name of Japanese badminton star Kento Momota disappeared. With the Paris Olympics looming, giving up on the Olympic points race again could mean that Momota is ready to give up the race for an Olympic spot.
Due to last year's poor record, Momota Kento is currently ranked 38th in the world. Let's not talk about whether he can qualify for the Paris Olympics in this ranking, there are many young Japanese players such as Kodai Naraoka, Kenta Nishimoto, and Kanta Tsuneyama in front of him, and according to the rules that each country (region) in each individual event of the Olympic badminton event can only send two (pairs) of players, Momota Kento's hope of participating in the Paris Olympics is very slim.
Not long ago, Kento Momota participated in the national championship in Japan and defeated teenager Kanta Tsuneyama in the final. At the Asian Badminton Team Championships that ended not long ago, he was also in good shape, which made people think that he would fight again for the Paris Olympics, but he didn't expect to wait for the news that he had abandoned the game.
The 29-year-old Kento Momota was the world's best men's singles badminton player in the Tokyo Olympic cycle. In 2018, he defeated Shi Yuqi to win the men's singles championship at the World Championships and became the world No. 1 at the same time. In 2019, Momota won 11 titles, including the All England Open, World Championships, and BWF Tour Finals, setting a brilliant record in badminton.
In 2020, Momota was involved in a car accident while riding the organizer's bus to the airport after competing in Malaysia, and the driver died on the spot, and he also underwent surgery for an eye injury. The injury was a turning point in his athletic career, and his form has been up and down since then. He was upset in the group stage at the Tokyo Olympics, and his performance on the international stage has rarely improved since then, and now a ticket to the Olympics has become a luxury, and many fans are hoping that the Paris Olympics official will issue him a wild card.
In addition, there is speculation that Momota has something to do with the badminton association's embarrassment. According to reports, the Japan Badminton Association has been mired in a fiscal deficit of 300 million yen (about 14.5 million yuan) for two consecutive years, so after the Paris Olympics, it will adjust the team and management, reduce the scale of participation in international competitions, and reduce expenses.
Photo source: BWF).
*: Chao News].
Statement: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author, if there is a mistake or infringement of your legitimate rights and interests, you can contact us by email, and we will deal with it in a timely manner. E-mail address: [email protected]