World number one and the most dominant men's badminton player since Lin Dan — Momota's career was derailed by a car accident before reaching its peak.
Kento Momota was born in Ehime, Japan in 1994. He won consecutive World Championship titles in 2018 and 2019 and reached World No.1. He was the most dominant men's badminton player since Lin Dan's peak, winning BWF World Tour titles at exceptional frequency. In January 2020 he was injured in a car accident in Malaysia immediately after winning the World Tour Finals — an incident that disrupted what should have been his peak period ahead of the Tokyo Olympics. He competed at Tokyo 2020 but did not reach the final. He remained a compelling figure in men's badminton, representing Japan's emergence as a genuine force in a discipline historically dominated by China, Indonesia and Malaysia.
World's top men's singles badminton player, multiple world titles
How They Played
Aggressive attacking style with exceptional court coverage
Lasting Impact
Dominated men's badminton achieving consecutive World Championships
World Champion 2018 2019
Career Honours
- World Champion 2018 2019
- World No.1
- Asian Champion