As he stepped off court for the last time, I found myself welling up.
He doesn’t know me - of course he doesn’t - and I don’t know him.
And for a magical two years, he had the best game in the world.
That, in spite of being considered an all-time great, he never quite fulfilled his potential.
Sadly, Momota never won an Olympic medal and it’s this void that dictates his story.
Between 2014 and 2015, Momota announced himself to the world as this young player with frightening talent.
Smooth footwork, a clear vision, almost certainly a future star.
Those were his medal hopes dashed, though.
A year goes by…
Momota returns, winning the Japan nationals and falling to his knees in tears.
I’d never seen so much emotion from him.
Then he goes to his first comeback tournament in Canada and comes second.
The comeback is staggering.
And during that time he’s unstoppable, like, to an absurd extent.
No one comes close to his steadiness and his shot-making.
He wins the 2018 and 2019 world championships, with one scoreline 21-9, 21-3.
No one does that.
Over those couple of years, Momota produced the very finest game of that generation.
No one’s playstyle can alter the conditions of a sport, like the rules of the actual arena.
But I do think they’re capable of forcing everyone to develop something that works better within those bounds.
For his home Olympics, Tokyo 2020, Momota was the overwhelming favourite.
The driver sadly passed away, while Momota suffered a fractured eye socket and would later need surgery.
Then nowhere near his best, he lost in the first round of the delayed Tokyo 2021 Olympics.
From then on, Momota wasn’t ever the same.
It’s amazing, really, how you might watch someone’s playstyle crack as their confidence drops.
That smoothness, that spark - stuttering.
Nope, with Momota around, people’s schedules flipped.
The crowd roared whenever he walked on court and Momota delivered some throwback performances.
So yeah, sorry if I’ve bored you with yet more badminton chat.
If you got this far, thanks for reading!
And cheers Momota, for all the memories.
