Badminton: As Kento Momota announces retirement, here's why his ...
New Olympic champions get crowned all the time. Every four years, at any rate. But Kento Momota will be remembered wistfully amongst the badminton legions, as one that got away. The crown eluded him, but he might well endure in public memory and shuttle’s mythos longer than anyone else with gold around the neck.
An overwhelming favourite a year out from the Tokyo Games, Momota finished with one of the most underwhelming heartbreaks there, as he exited the last Olympics at the first stage. On Thursday, less than 100 days away from the Paris spectacle, Momota announced he was letting go of this ultimate dream. Unable to qualify, ranked outside Top 50, the Japanese dwelled on retirement after the Thomas Cup that would be his last assignment.
The 29-year-old refused to shed tears in his retirement press conference for all the missed chances, the wretched turn of events with a horrific car accident in 2020, and for what could have been.
#BAC2024
This run… simply incredible stuff. #KentoMomota https://t.co/FXqFWLztZZ pic.twitter.com/AjPZgAUmnx
— Vinayakk (@vinayakkm) April 18, 2024
Refusing to be defined by the Olympics (non) legacy, unwilling to be bitter over what fate had handed out to him, he spoke with a smile instead, speaking of a non-sporting, everyday challenge: his goal to get a driver’s license.
Mundane for most, but for a survivor of a car wreck in Malaysia where the driver lost his life, and the star shuttler was left with a damaged eye-socket, the Japanese legend now plans to take on the steering wheel bravely. “I don’t have a driver’s license. Now that I’ll finally have the time, I hope to finally get one,” he was quoted as saying, by Olympics.com.
Twice world champion in 2018 and 2019, Momota was on a redemptive arc heading into the 2020 Olympics. He won a staggering 11 titles in 2019, the invincibility spoken of as an inevitability for a gold at his home Games. Ahead of 2016 Rio Olympics, Momota was already a big deal. But the Japanese badminton federation imposed a ban on him, for a gambling offence, unrelated to sport. He would miss Rio, with the Chinese picking another gold and Lee Chong Wei another silver. Momota was to bide his time, and shine at Tokyo, the wise men said.
On either side of this punishment, Momota’s game stayed defensively airtight, as his incredible forearm racquet control, economy of movements and inscrutable tactics gave him one big title after another. He ran like most Japanese of the past did, but he had the finishing kills, the anticipation, and a backhand blitz combined with nerveless certitude of going from Point 17 to Point 21, no matter who the opponent was, and what almighty effort they were putting in.
Momota is “On Fire” #badminton #HSBCBWFbadminton pic.twitter.com/QYsICX7Drr
— BWF (@bwfmedia) July 8, 2018
Momota had an eye-popping 14-3 against Viktor Axelsen. India’s combined might of Srikanth Kidambi, HS Prannoy, Lakshya Sen, Sai Praneeth and Kashyap Parupalli played him 42 times, winning only 7.
Momota suffered the accident, and within a month the world went into a lockdown soon after in early 2020, as the coronavirus deferred the Olympics. He would be shaken by the car crash, and pained by the loss of the driver’s life. He underwent several procedures, but the eye socket fracture, made him see double. And a return after the rest of the body healed could never turn into success as his vision issues made him disoriented on court. The sharpest shooter who got under the shuttle in seconds, and was hardly late for a return, was robbed of that unreal peripheral depth perception.
His third innings – for his redemption from the ban had been complete with two world titles – was a helpless scramble at regaining his old form. The Olympics wasn’t meant to be, but even routine events on the Tour proved too hard.
Pre-accident, Momota was inscrutable, perfect with robotic precision, that only comes from determined human discipline. Post the mishap, he returned and was kinder to himself. He loved banter with teammates in training. And it’s surrounded by them that he will bid adieu after the Thomas Cup.
He first tried. But then he got tired.
“Honestly, it was one difficult time after another. But I didn’t want to blame it on the accident. I wanted to try and beat it. I had so much support. It’s how I managed to come this far,” Olympics.com quoted him. “But I felt I couldn’t become world No. 1 again.”
The man from Kagawa had all of Japan’s hopes thrust on him to take the Olympic gold away from the Chinese, at home. The script went up in flames. His own disappointment was dire, and the physical barriers daunting. “I’d get tired like I never used to. I tried. But I just felt it was no longer possible to keep up with the world’s best players. I couldn’t play badminton the way I wanted to,” he added.
Olympic greatness eluded him, but perhaps the biggest ode was scribbled by the man who went on to pick Tokyo gold. “Even though you have kicked my a** way too many times, it has been an absolute pleasure sharing the court with you,” Viktor Axelsen would warmly say.
Conventional Olympic history will leap past Kento Momota, and the professional Japanese system too has gone about raising their next phalanx in men’s singles like clockwork. But Momota will be remembered as the champion the Olympics missed out on, rather than viewed the other way.
Maybe finally learning to drive a car, and the freedom of long drives will bring him greater joy.
Momota’s record against top Indian shuttlers:Srikanth 3-16 Prannoy 1-7 Kashyap 0-5 Lakshya 1-2 Sai Praneeth 2-5
