MOMOTA Kento

General
RECOVERING FROM CAR ACCIDENT
He believes the experience of being involved in a serious traffic accident in Malaysia in January 2020 has changed his outlook on badminton and life. "For me, getting through that crash was a massive thing; my outlook on life really changed after that. I stopped taking for granted the everyday things that I was able to do in life. I never really thought about quitting the sport but I did worry that I would be left unable to play it anymore. I was also able to rediscover the joy in badminton." (bbc.co.uk, 13 Jan 2020, 16 Mar 2021; dot.asahi.com, 21 Feb 2020; news.nifty.com, 23 Feb 2020; nhk.or.jp, 08 Feb 2020; sponichi.co.jp, 24 Dec 2020)

2011 EARTHQUAKE
Born in Kanagawa Prefecture, he moved to Fukushima Prefecture in order to enter Tomioka Daiichi Junior High School, a renowned badminton school. In March 2011 he was on a training camp in Indonesia when he heard the news about the 2011 earthquake off the Pacific coast of Tohoku in Fukushima Prefecture. His high school, Tomioka Daiichi High School, was destroyed by the disaster, and he had to stay at his parents' house in his hometown after coming back to the country. Despite being unable to return to school, he was allowed to train with NTT East which later became his club. "I, who experienced the effects of an earthquake, qualified for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. It makes me be deeply moved to compete there. So, if I can shine on that stage I hope that I can perhaps bring some cheer to all the people who have suffered there." (bbc.co.uk, 16 Mar 2021; nikkansports.com, 01 Jan 2021; ninomiyasports.com, 02 Mar 2015, 16 Mar 2015; spread-sports.jp, 11 Mar 2020)

SUSPENSION
In April 2016 he was suspended from the Japanese national team by the Nippon Badminton Association after admitting to gambling in an illegal casino in Japan. The suspension ruled him out of contention for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. He was allowed to return to lower-level international tournaments in mid-2017, and the suspension was completely lifted in January 2018. "That one year in the wilderness was the darkest period of my life, and I really missed the competition. But I resolved to keep practising and working out to stay fit; vowed that I would come back even stronger than before." (reuters.com, 04 Dec 2017; japantimes.co.jp, 12 Mar 2017; euronews.com, 08 Apr 2016; firstpost.com, 09 Jul 2018)

He became the first Japanese badminton player to win a medal in men's singles at the world championships when he claimed bronze at the 2015 edition in Jakarta, Indonesia. He went on to become the first Japanese world champion in men's singles when he claimed victory at the 2018 edition in Nanjing, Peoples Republic of China. (scmp.com, 05 Aug 2018; reuters.com, 04 Dec 2017; hochi.co.jp, 02 Jun 2018; SportsDeskOnline, 21 Aug 2019)

In 2018 he became the first Japanese male badminton player to be ranked no.1 in the world. (olympicchannel.com, 28 Sep 2018)