Kuala Lumpur: Badminton men's singles world champion and world number one Kento Momota is in stable condition in hospital after he was among four injured in a highway crash that killed their van driver early Monday morning here in Malaysia.
Malaysia's News Agency reported that their van was on its way to Kuala Lumpur International Airport after Momota had won the Malaysia Masters title when it crashed into the rear of a 30-tonne truck at about 4.40am local time.
Driver Bavan Nageswarau died at the scene while Momota suffered a broken nose and was also injured in his lip and face. The other three sustained injuries with faces, hands, among others, the police said in a statement.
A Badminton World Federation statement identified the three others in the van who sustained slight injuries as Hawkeye system operator William Thomas of Great Britain, Japan team physiotherapist Yu Hirayama and assistant coach Arkifuki Morimoto.
They were rushed to a nearby hospital to receive treatment.
Malaysian Minister of Youth and Sports Syed Saddiq told a press conference at the hospital where the injured were receiving treatment that all four were in stable condition, adding that they would receive the best of treatment and were being monitored closely.
Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) secretary-general Kenny Goh Chee Keong said Momota and his team were on the way back to Tokyo because he actually had withdrawn from the following Indonesian Masters, while William was on his way to Jakarta for the tournament.
