2024-05-03 16:50:00
Xinhua News Agency, Chengdu, May 3: Headline: Olympic dream is difficult to achieve. Momota Kento bids farewell amid cheers.
Xinhua News Agency reporters Tian Guangyu, Ji Ye, Xu Shihao
On the followingnoon of the 3rd, the press conference of the 2024 Chengdu Thomas and Uber Cup was filled with journalists 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 competitive career is officially over, but I will continue to play badminton. I hope we meet in some form at the ‘future, thank you!’
On the evening of the 2nd, the Japanese team lost to the Malaysian team 1:3 and stopped in the quarterfinals of the Thomas Cup. Momota, who is the third singles player, had already won his three appearances in the group stage, but tonight he did not have the chance to play to save the team’s fate. This is how the world’s most dominant former male badminton player completed his final dance on the international stage – ahead of the Paris Olympics.
After all, he missed out on the Olympic gold medal he dreamed of since his youth.
Ten years ago, at the 2014 Thomas Cup in New Delhi, 19-year-old Momota rose to prominence as a second singles player, defeated a strong player in five matches and helped the Japanese team to win the first Thomas Cup in history. .
Over the past ten years, Momota’s badminton life has been mixed 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 Indonesia Open, and defeated Axelsen in the BWF Tour year-end final. His world ranking went from 135th to the top three…
While the young man was high on the pitch, he also experienced losses and hesitations.
On the eve of the 2016 Rio Olympics, Momota was given an indefinite ban for gambling at an illegal casino and missed the Olympics. After a year of silence, Momota, who had reformed, was lifted from the ban.
People discovered that the once misguided boy genius had become humble and quiet. Momota started from the lowest level in 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 player in men’s singles.
Winning the Olympics at home – as this dream became more and more visible, difficulties ensued. In early 2020, Momota was diagnosed with an orbital floor fracture in his right eye following a car accident. After surgical treatment, he began a long convalescence. In early 2021, Momota, who was just returning from injury, was diagnosed with the novel coronavirus.
After a series of blows, Momota went to the Tokyo Olympics as he wanted, but failed in the group stage due to poor condition. The impact of the car accident and the new crown virus is difficult to reverse. “I chased the person I remember, but I never managed to catch up.”
After the Tokyo Olympics, Momota did not give up on his Olympic dream, but his body was no longer in peak shape and his dream was not viable. 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 scene following this Thomas Cup.
During the farewell match, Momota seemed relaxed and carefree, enjoying the fans’ enthusiasm. “Every time I made a move, the audience clapped and applauded. I completely blended into that atmosphere.” Former opponents such as Axelsen and Ginting sent him their blessings during the interview. Shi Yuqi said in Japanese: “It’s a shame to retire. Come on Chen Long, who retired, also came to the stadium to say goodbye.”
“It’s a very happy thing to finish my career in the Japanese national team with the support of so many people.” Looking back on his ten-year career with the national team, Momota is calm and grateful: “My life has not been so easy, and these are also very painful moments. But every time I win or see so much of people supporting me, it’s a reason for me to continue playing.
In 2012, Momota won Japan’s first junior world championship. The 18-year-old told reporters following the match: “My dream is to win an Olympic medal.”
“what color?”
“gold.”
The golden dream ultimately did not materialize. But through the ups and downs and chasing his dreams, Momota also wrote his own golden badminton career. (Participating journalists: Chen Di, Dong Xiaohong)
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