Kento Momota is set to be sidelined for another three months after he underwent surgery for an orbital floor fracture in his right eye following an accident in Malaysia.
The January 13 mishap, which happened hours after he won the Malaysia Masters and also killed the driver of the van, left a lingering impact on the world number one who complained of double vision upon returning to training on February 3.
Japan head coach Park Joo-bong was taken aback with Momota’s setback.
"I’m surprised this time….the future will be determined based on the progress after surgery. I think it will be a matter of course, but I want to focus on recovery without impatience,” said Park in a statement.
Momota will miss the All-England Championship (March 11-15), where he is the defending men's singles champion, and also the Malaysia Open (March 31-April 5) as he recovers from surgery.
While the Japanese will not have to worry about qualifying to the Olympics, being out of commission for several months will mean he faces a race against time to get back into competitive mode upon returning.
If he makes a speedy recovery, Momota could feature at the Thomas Cup in May.
But if he is deemed to require more rest, then Momota could only return in June, possibly at the Thailand Open.
This setback will certainly derail Momota’s chances of clinching gold at the Tokyo Olympics, where he has been the overwhelming favourite to win.
The world champion swiftly followed his 11 titles from 2019 by dominating the Malaysia Masters to win the first event of 2020.
But tragedy struck as Momota and a few badminton officials were on their way to the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, when their van crashed into the back of a trailer.
Momota was admitted to the Putrajaya Hospital for two days, before returning to Japan where he received further treatment for facial lacerations.
The January 13 mishap, which happened hours after he won the Malaysia Masters and also killed the driver of the van, left a lingering impact on the world number one who complained of double vision upon returning to training on February 3.
Japan head coach Park Joo-bong was taken aback with Momota’s setback.
"I’m surprised this time….the future will be determined based on the progress after surgery. I think it will be a matter of course, but I want to focus on recovery without impatience,” said Park in a statement.
Momota will miss the All-England Championship (March 11-15), where he is the defending men's singles champion, and also the Malaysia Open (March 31-April 5) as he recovers from surgery.
While the Japanese will not have to worry about qualifying to the Olympics, being out of commission for several months will mean he faces a race against time to get back into competitive mode upon returning.
If he makes a speedy recovery, Momota could feature at the Thomas Cup in May.
But if he is deemed to require more rest, then Momota could only return in June, possibly at the Thailand Open.
This setback will certainly derail Momota’s chances of clinching gold at the Tokyo Olympics, where he has been the overwhelming favourite to win.
The world champion swiftly followed his 11 titles from 2019 by dominating the Malaysia Masters to win the first event of 2020.
But tragedy struck as Momota and a few badminton officials were on their way to the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, when their van crashed into the back of a trailer.
Momota was admitted to the Putrajaya Hospital for two days, before returning to Japan where he received further treatment for facial lacerations.
