Japan’s top shuttler Momota out

Kento Momota. Pic/AFP

Japan's badminton World No. 1 Kento Momota lost in the first round at the Tokyo Olympics on Wednesday, a day after Japanese tennis superstar Naomi Osaka also crashed out.

Unseeded South Korean Heo Kwang-hee beat Momota 21-15, 21-19, ending the favourite's bid for the gold medal after just two games.

Momota was appearing in his first Olympics, having been banned for gambling in an illegal casino just months before the 2016 Rio Games.

Momota won a record 11 titles in 2019, losing just six of the 73 matches he played that year. But his bid for Olympic gold on home soil ended quickly, with Heo sinking his hopes in just 52 minutes.

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