Badminton: Okuhara withdraws from nat'l c'ships due to knee injury

Reigning world champion Nozomi Okuhara pulled out of the ongoing badminton national championships on Wednesday, citing a knee injury.Okuhara, who beat archrival Pusarla Sindhu of India in the final for the women's singles crown in August, withdrew after winning a point in the first game of her first-round match at Komazawa Gymnasium in Tokyo."I'm not in shape to compete in a tournament. I decided (to withdraw) this morning. It was a tough decision but I had to do this to keep my eyes on the Tokyo Olympics. I promise to come back stronger," she said."My manager and coach respected my wish to…READ FULL ARTICLE