World number one and hosts Japan’s medal hope Kento Momota, 26, has been ousted from the Tokyo Olympics after a shock first round loss on Wednesday. Tokyo Olympics | Full Schedule | Sports News
Momota lost to unseeded South Korean Heo Kwang-hee 15-21, 19-21, ending his bid for the gold medal after just two games. This comes a day after tennis star Naomi Osaka crashed out of the Games.
The Olympics was supposed to be the biggest test for Momota who made a comeback from a highway accident in Malaysia a year-and-a-half ago. The accident injured him and several Japan team members and took the life of his driver.
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The men's singles world number one fractured his eye socket in the crash and then suffered through a bout of double vision on his return to training that had him fearing his career might be over.
He made a winning return to the court at the Japan national championships in December, only to be sidelined again after testing positive for COVID-19 in January.
Just before the 2016 Rio Games, Momota was banned for gambling in an illegal casino.
