Source:REUTERS/Jason Cairnduff
[Saba Sports News] On March 19th, Japanese badminton star Yuta Watanabe updated his social media to announce the birth of his first daughter and thanked his wife for her efforts during pregnancy and delivery. Many of his fellow athletes, including former partner Arisa Igarashi, former national teammates Kento Momota, Keigo Sonoda, Nami Matsuyama, as well as friends in the badminton community such as Loh Kean Yew, Kunlavut Vitidsarn, Ratchanok Intanon, Sapsiree Taerattanachai, and others, quickly liked and sent their blessings. It has been over seven months since the Paris Olympics, so if we count backwards, Watanabe’s child must have been conceived around June. If he married before the Olympics, it’s likely that it was a marriage due to pregnancy. According to records, Watanabe and Igarashi won a mixed doubles bronze medal at the Paris Olympics. However, after returning to Japan, Watanabe surprisingly revealed on a TV variety show that he had quietly gotten married before the Olympics, which upset his longtime “secret admirer” Igarashi. Eventually, they parted ways, with Igarashi pairing up with Ayako Sakuramoto to compete in women’s doubles, while Watanabe continued to compete in mixed doubles with Maya Taguchi.