Badminton star Momota sparks stampede with coaching offer

TOKYO: It’s an irresistible prospect for budding badminton players — a chance to be coached by Japanese world number one Kento Momota, who has triggered thousands of responses by offering his services.

“Would anyone like to play badminton with me?” Momota wrote on his Twitter account on Tuesday.

“I also want to teach people badminton. I want people to know how fun this is,” added the badminton star, who was injured in a car crash in February in Malaysia.

Momota, a top gold medal hope for Japan at the now-postponed Tokyo Olympics, spent months recuperating after the crash, which killed the driver of his vehicle and left him with eye injuries.

His coaching offer — for just two lucky students — attracted a flood of applicants, ranging from parents applying for their children to fellow sports stars.