Kento Momota dedicated his title yesterday to those who stuck by him when a gambling scandal threatened to wreck the history-maker's budding career. The explosive shuttler, 23, convincingly defeated China's highly promising Shi Yuqi 21-11, 21-13 in Nanjing, becoming the first Japanese man to win the World Championships.

Momota's career descended into controversy in 2016 when Japanese badminton chiefs suspended him for more than a year for visiting an illegal casino, denying him a place at the Rio Olympics. Momota, number two in the world at the time, has been working his way back to the top ever since and was the pre-tournament favourite in Nanjing.