Kento Momota (JPN) added another career milestone in his recent comeback story on Thursday. The 24-year-old became the first Japanese player to reach world No.1.
Momota’s comeback story has been nothing short of incredible. After reaching World No. 4 in 2016, he found himself ranked 282 upon his return to the sport in July 2017. Unable to qualify for Superseries tournaments, he had to work his way through the Challenger circuit in order to begin to compete at the top level again.
However, in just over a span of a year, through unwavering determination, Momota has climbed to the pinnacle of badminton success, with wins at badminton’s premiere events, including the World Championships this August, the Indonesian Open, and DAIHATSU YONEX Japan Open.
While he’s now made a strong case for being a favorite for a Gold Medal in front of a home crowd at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, he'll still have to take each tournament as they come to maintain his new ranking. Yonex is happy to congratulate him on his achievement and looks forward to his future success.
Full BWF rankings
Kento Momota: ASTROX 99, AEROBITE, POWER CUSHION 65 Z MEN