Even Momota Kento himself did not expect that in the first game of the Thomas Cup group stage without any suspense, the entire Chinese audience cheered him "momota (Momota)", and the media's mixed interview area also had a long queue because of him .
, the former world number one men's singles player and two-time World Championship champion, suddenly announced ten days ago that the Thomas Cup would be his last international tournament, and he would retire from the Japanese team after the game. Starting from the first group match on the 28th, Momota started his final game in Chengdu. "I will compete with the mood of fighting with the team until the end. As long as I appear on the stage, I will try my best."
When the Japanese team faced the Czech Republic in the first round, they sent Kento Momota to the battle. As the third singles, the 29-year-old Momota defeated the 19-year-old Czech teenager Dominic Kopriva 21-9, 21-3, easily scoring a point for the Japanese team. In the Thomas Cup World Badminton Men's Team Championship, each team must play five games in the group stage. Each team selects three men's singles and two men's doubles from the four men's singles and three men's doubles entries. After the first round, Momota Kento, who felt good, volunteered: "My competitive state is relatively good today. I will prepare for the next game and try to continue playing."
In this Thomas Cup, the Japanese team sent four The men's singles are Momota Kento, Watanabe Kouki, Nishimoto Kenta and Naraoka Kodai
(from left to right)
The Thomas Cup is the starting point of Momota Kento's badminton story.
Ten years ago, the fledgling Momota was selected by the Japanese team. As the second single player in the Thomas Cup, he won all three games in the group stage and defeated Du Pengyu with difficulty in the semi-finals, helping the Japanese team defeat the Chinese team, which had won five consecutive championships. Reached the Thomas Cup final for the first time. In the final, he won again and contributed greatly to the team's victory over Malaysia. Japan thus became the fourth country to have its name engraved on the Thomas Cup after Malaysia, Indonesia, and China. It was during the 2014 Thomas Cup that he won five out of five matches and "became famous in one battle". Momota Kento's name gradually became known, but the subsequent scripts performed a roller coaster-like ups and downs in a tragic melody.
In April 2016, Momota's world ranking rose to second place, and he was regarded as a strong contender for the men's singles gold medal in the Rio Olympics. At this time, it was revealed that he and his teammate Kenichi Tianer and others had been frequenting underground casinos for gambling since 2014, and were banned by the Japan Badminton Association. As a result, Momota lost his qualification for the Olympics. A year later, Momota Kento returned from the ban. He climbed all the way to the world's No. 1 ranking from no ranking and dominated the rankings for 119 weeks. In 2018 and 2019, he won the World Championship twice. The "prodigal son" Momota has become the biggest favorite to win the Tokyo Olympics, and is also regarded as a candidate to lead the badminton world after the "Lin and Li Era". But bad luck struck again. In January 2020, he was involved in a car accident in Malaysia, causing multiple fractures such as his nasal bones and the bottom of his eye sockets. He spent three to four months recovering. Although the Olympic Games were postponed for one year due to the epidemic, Momota was infected with the new crown half a year before the opening of the competition. The injury seriously affected his competitive state, and he ultimately failed in the group stage of the Olympic Games at home. This time, there is no "comeback" in the script.
At the retirement conference held just ten days ago, Momota Kento confessed his physical limitations: "After the car accident in January 2020, I experienced a lot of hardships. I want to play basketball in my own way, and I have made a lot of attempts and efforts, but I feel the difference in my body and can no longer regain my previous state. Although I can still play games, it is difficult for me to reach the top level in the world again at my current level. "
Momota Kento forwarded. Axelsen's tweet.
For Momota Kento, the soup cup may be the best opportunity to say goodbye - it starts here and ends here. Of course, here he can also say goodbye to many old friends in person. Just on April 26, Momota and Axelsen took a photo outside the stadium. They were both born in 1994. If they were not repeatedly tortured by injuries and accidents, "Moota" could have been another era of twin stars. "Rivals and friends." The Dane, who was at an absolute disadvantage with 4 wins and 14 losses in the direct dialogue between the two, wrote on social media. "Can we play a few games in the warm-up hall? So I can try to make up for it. Let’s look at the regrets of the historical record.Momota responded from the air: "Unfortunately, I have to leave this arena soon." I wish Axelsen will get better and better and bring exciting games to the fans. "
There is no doubt that Momota still misses this arena, but farewell will always come. A reporter asked: "Will the enthusiasm of the audience make you reluctant to leave? Momota thought for a while and said: "I really feel the enthusiasm, so of course I will be reluctant to leave." But from another perspective, isn't it a blessing to be able to retire with such warm cheers? "
(our newspaper's special call from Chengdu on April 28)
Author: Wu Shu
Text: Reporter of this newspaper/Wu Shu Picture: Visual China Editor: Chen Haixiang Editor: Shen Lei
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