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Momota to retire for good after S/J League season in February

Expect Kento Momota to retire after the S/J League season ends in February, nearly seven months after he quit from international badminton.

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MOMOTA TO RETIRE AFTER JAPAN’S S/J LEAGUE SEASON NEXT YEAR

Expect Momota to retire after Japan’s S/J League season ends in February next year.

Furthermore, the former world No.1 made the decision after initially announcing his departure from Japan’s national team in April.

Moreover, Momota was sidelined by a series of injuries that forced him to miss the Paris Olympics earlier this year.

Sources familiar with the matter told multiple news outlets on Sunday regarding the 30-year-old Kanagawa Prefecture native’s plans.

Incidentally, the S/J League season already began on Saturday.

Badminton: Two-time world champion Momota to retire next Februaryhttps://t.co/sWWCuhZG9f#sports #badminton #japan

— Kyodo News | Japan (@kyodo_english) November 3, 2024

JAPANESE STAR SHUTTLER REACHES PEAK WITH 2 WORLD C’SHIPS IN 2018-19

Moreover, the Japanese star shuttler reached his peak in 2018-19, when he world the men’s singles titles at the world championships.

Furthermore, Momota became the first Japanese man to claim the world No.1 spot in the badminton rankings.

In his prime, he held the No.1 position for 121 weeks.

Momota last represented Japan in the Thomas & Uber Cup Finals in Chengdu, China, in April.

“I had a very fulfilling career playing for the national team,” he said back in April.

【Ｓ/Ｊリーグ】
2024シーズンの公式スコア速報は２つのサービスで実施📋️
【スポナビ】
《男子》https://t.co/uQZXCrJaHe
《女子》https://t.co/ryK0deDrF9
【BIRDSCORE】https://t.co/RYh22MV0mk#カウントダウン#いよいよ開幕#バドミントン#BADMINTON#SJリーグ pic.twitter.com/vbxBtVunW0

— BADMINTON S/J LEAGUE (@League_SJ) November 2, 2024

GAMBLING, CAR ACCIDENT MARK DARKER MOMENTS OF MOMOTA’S CAREER

Furthermore, gambling issues and a car accident marked darker moments of Momota’s career in the past decade.

Moreover, the Japanese star was suspended from the Japanese team and missed the 2016 Rio Olympics due to gambling at illegal casinos.

Momota’s career took a turn after the vehicle that carried him to the Kuala Lumpur airport in Malaysia crashed.

This happened after he won the Malaysia Masters in January 2020.

Momota staged a comeback and won two more titles, but double vision issues prevented him from sustaining his form.

🇯🇵 Kento Momota – Becomes the first World Champion to retire from International Career with a win in his last Men's Singles match.
He won against 🇹🇼 Chia Hao LEE in group stage match of #TUC2024

Updated Stats about him in #TUC ⬇️ https://t.co/eSYvmWMtxZ pic.twitter.com/F40OHNlTt1

— Badminton Zenith (@BadmintonZenith) May 2, 2024