Kento Momota was one of the favourites in last year’s Olympics but was shown the exit in the group stage. - NSTP file pic
Kento Momota was one of the favourites in last year’s Olympics but was shown the exit in the group stage. - NSTP file pic

KUALA LUMPUR: World No 2 Kento Momota is determined to bury the ghosts of his disastrous Tokyo Olympics campaign when he competes in badminton's World Championships in Tokyo from Aug 22-28.

The 27-year-old Japanese was one of the hot favourites at last year's Olympics but failed to get past even the group stage after being slain by South Korean Heo Kwang Hee.

With another major tournament being staged in the Japanese capital, Momota wants to use it as the stage to redeem himself.

"I want to make up for the Tokyo Olympics disappointment," Momota told the Japanese media in a press conference hosted by BA of Japan recently.

"I have nothing but regrettable memories. I have no one but myself to blame, it's all due to my incompetence." he admitted.

"With the World Championships being held in Tokyo this time, I've got a second chance to get things right."

Momota, however, has a perilous path ahead of him in his bid to reclaim the world crown that he last won in Basel in 2019.

The draw, which came out on Wednesday, has Momota in the bottom half alongside some of the in-form players such as Asian champion Lee Zii Jia, Commonwealth Games gold medallist Lakhsya Sen, world champion Loh Kean Yew and world No 3 Anders Antonsen.

Momota could cross paths with Indian ace Lakhsya in the last 16 and Zii Jia in the quarter-finals, both who are well known for their explosive play.

Momota, who has admitted that he finds it tough to deal with aggressive players, is working hard to beef up his defence.

"The number of attacking players is increasing, so I have to really toughen my defensive game," he said.

"In training, I have been figuring out ways to retrieve smashes from aggressive opponents.

"It would be nice to see some results from the training at the World Championships."

Zii Jia would probably be Momota's biggest obstacle in the latter's bid to reach the final.

Although Momota had beaten Zii Jia in eight of their 12 meetings, he failed to overcome the Malaysian in their last two encounters this year — the All England and Thomas Cup Finals.