Kento Momota was a dominant badminton star whose career changed sharply after a serious car crash in January 2020, which left him with facial injuries and a fractured eye socket; he later returned to competition, but he said he was never the same after the accident and retired from international badminton in April 2024.

Quick Scoop

  • In 2020, Momota survived a major highway crash in Malaysia that killed the driver of the vehicle he was riding in.
  • He made a comeback and won major matches again, including the All-Japan championship later that year.
  • Over time, injuries and the long recovery affected his form and consistency, and he eventually retired from international badminton at age 29.

What changed

Momota was once viewed as one of the best men’s singles players in the world, but the crash was the turning point that derailed his peak run.

By 2024, he publicly acknowledged that he had not been the same since the accident, which is why retirement became the final chapter of his international career.

He is now generally remembered as a badminton great whose career was interrupted by a devastating accident and never fully returned to its pre-2020 level.

Timeline

  1. January 2020: Serious car crash in Malaysia.
  1. Late 2020: Returns and wins the All-Japan championship.
  1. 2021 onward: More injury setbacks and withdrawals.
  1. April 2024: Announces retirement from international badminton.

Bottom line

If you mean “what happened” in a career sense: he suffered a life-changing crash, fought back, but never fully regained his earlier dominance and retired in 2024.