Superstar presence:
China’s badminton icon Lin Dan (centre) stretching with his teammates during a training session yesterday ahead of the Thomas Cup Finals starting at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand, tomorrow. Inset: Japan coaches Park Joo-bong (top) of South Korea and Jeremy Gan of Malaysia sharing a light moment.
DETERMINED Kento Momota (pic) is going the extra mile in training, putting a smile on Japan’s head coach Park Joo-bong’s face.
After all his teammates had completed their training, Momota stayed back to do an extra 45-minute run on the treadmill in Bangkok.
“He’s exceptional. He’s so determined to prove himself after the ban that saw him miss the 2016 Rio Olympic Games,” said Joo-bong after a training session at Impact Arena yesterday.
Momota’s return after a one-year ban over a gambling issue will be a boon for Japan at the Thomas Cup Finals.
“He has worked so hard since the ban was lifted in May last year. He pushed himself so hard that he even got injured and we had to withdraw him from the Thailand and Malaysian Masters this year.
“He is driven to win at the Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2020.”
Joo-bong added that winning the recent Asian Badminton Championships last month had also whetted Momota’s appettite for more.
He defeated reigning All-England champion Shi Yuqi, Lee Chong Wei and Chen Long of China for the title.
“He’s determined to win all his matches as the first singles for Japan at this Finals. He’s hoping to get a chance to cross swords with world champion Viktor (Axelsen, Denmark).”
Joo-bong said that Momota’s good work ethic has also rubbed off on the 23-year-old Kenta Nishimoto, who play as the second singles.
“Kenta follows Momota everywhere. They train together, push each other and I’m happy to see the improvement in Kenta too.”
Although having a strong and balanced team, Joo-bong said he would be happy to see his team clear the Thomas Cup group stage.
2014 champions Japan, seeded fifth, are in Group C with Taiwan, Hong Kong and Germany.
“We consider Taiwan a threat. They’ve improved and itwon’t be easy to beat them,” he added.