BANGKOK: Kento Momota may not have won the Thomas Cup for his country, but his return back to the top following a suspension speaks volume of a shuttler destined to be a star.
In April 2016, the shuttler, who was slowly gaining prominence, was slapped with an indefinite ban by the Badminton Association (BA) of Japan after admitting to visiting illegal casinos in the country.
As a result, Momota, who was tipped to be a medal contender, missed the 2016 Rio Olympic Games as well as the Thomas Cup in Kunshan, China, where Japan failed to defend their title from 2014.
Having rose to as high as No 2 on the world rankings, the 24-year-old shuttler was set to lose everything.
But that did not stop him.
Momota made a comeback mid last year after the ban was lifted and immediately made heads turn when he reached six finals in as many tournaments and winning five on the trot.
This year, Momota announced his return to the top flight when he saw off reigning Olympic champion Chen Long in the final of the Asian Championships in Wuhan, China.
And it didn't stop there. Once again a member of the Japanese men's team, Momota led the country to their second Thomas Cup final in Bangkok.
However, despite his victory against Chen Long, the Japanese team were just not good enough to prevent a China victory, going down 3-1 in the final on Sunday.
What was Momota's secret? Apart from focusing on physical training during his suspension, how did he get back to the top so quickly?
"It was a difficult time for me when I was suspended. However, I took that time to reflect and went back to basics.
"I visited junior camps and saw kids training hard. That made me realise, why I fell in love with the sport the first time," said Momota.
Having already beaten the likes of World No 1 Viktor Axelsen of Denmark, Datuk Lee Chong Wei and Chen Long this year, Momota should not face a problem in realising his goal of becoming World No 1.
Momota will now be the player to beat at the upcoming World Championships and Asian Games.