The accident, which killed the van driver, occurred hours after Momota had secured his first victory of the season at the Malaysia Masters. "For me, getting through that crash was a massive thing; my outlook on life really changed after that," Momota, who is set to return to elite-level competition at this week's All England Open, told BBC. I never really thought about quitting the sport but I did worry that I would be left unable to play it anymore. Momota said he does not feel the pressure of being one of Japan's major hopes for a gold medal at the Games, which were postponed by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. "I just want to go for that gold medal to grow the profile of badminton in my country."

Source: The Star March 16, 2021 08:53 UTC