Source:
REUTERS/ALAN BALDWIN
[Saba
Sports News] Yesterday, 26-year-old Japanese female badminton player Saena
Kawakami officially announced her retirement through her personal social media
account. She shared a photo of herself with her idol, Chinese Taipei’s top
player Tai Tzu-Ying, taken at the Hangzhou Asian Games last year, expressing
her overwhelming emotions and stating that it was a tearful but joyful
decision. Kawakami mentioned that the choice to retire was not an easy one, but
she believed it was the right time to put an end to her badminton career. She
acknowledged the physical and mental challenges she faced daily and expressed
gratitude for the 20 years of dedication she had given to the sport. Kawakami also
expressed her appreciation for the unwavering support from her fans and the
opportunity to compete in front of them. At the 19th Asian Games held last
year, Saena Kawakami achieved a significant milestone in her career by securing
third place in the badminton team event with the Japanese team. However, some
fans have noted that her current women’s singles world ranking is 35th,
trailing behind her teammates such as Akane Yamaguchi, Aya Ohori, and Nozomi
Okuhara. This ranking setback likely means she will miss out on qualifying for
the Paris Olympics. It is anticipated that future games would present
challenges for her to achieve major breakthroughs, leading to her decision to
retire.