The Japanese badminton team -- most of whose players ranked in the top five in the world -- failed to meet high expectations, ending their Tokyo Olympics with only one bronze medal in mixed doubles.
The result was less than the one gold medal and one bronze won at the Rio de Janeiro Games, and far from achieving the Nippon Badminton Association's goal of at least medaling in each event with three gold medals overall.
The first-round defeat of Kento Momota came as a particular blow. Momota was the world No. 1 badminton player in the men's singles rankings.
Momota initially smiled wryly when he was hit with a sharp smash in his match against a South Korean opponent who was ranked 38th, but as the gap in the score widened, his face grew grim.
Momota, who lost in straight sets, admitted that the pressure of the Olympics was a difficulty: "I was so determined to win that I didn't want to lose, and my mind was in a spin."
The defeat of the badminton ace seems to have generally upset the national team players who have been practicing together.
Player Nozomi Okuhara said, "The world of competition is tough," while women's singles player Akane Yamaguchi said, "I was so surprised." Both of them also failed to reach the podium.
Some people have said the players were affected by a lack of experience facing foreign players due to the cancellation of international tournaments amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Momota, however, said, "We all played under the same conditions, so we can't make excuses."
Before the start of the Games, Japan's head coach Park Joo-bong was concerned, saying, "It's the Olympics, so there's definitely pressure on the players."
Many people were disappointed with the result, as they had high expectations for the national team.
The Yomiuri Shimbun
Kento Momota plays during his badminton singles match at the Tokyo Olympics on July 28.
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