Sumo wrestling first place Ozeki Takakeisho wins 3rd time since November place 3 years ago

In the Grand Sumo Tournament, Chiakiraku, Ozeki Takakage won the flat curtain Kotokatsuho at the end of the day, winning the third championship since November three years ago.

After the 14th day, Ozeki Takakage and Hiramaku Kotokatsuho were lined up with 3 losses in the battle for the championship of the first place, making it the first Chiaki raku match since the Nagoya place.

The most notable tie is Takakeisho's win over Kotokatsuho in a scooping throw, with a record of 12 wins and 3 losses, and the third victory in 13 places since the November place three years ago.

Yokozuna Terunofuji, who became one yokozuna and one ozeki for the first time in 125 years on the ranking, was absent from the first day due to an injury, and Takakeisho continued to rise to the ring as the only ozeki.

He suffered his first loss as early as the second day, but after that, he won 8 consecutive victories from the third day, leading the fight for the championship, mainly by pushing sumo wrestling full of spirit.

In the final round, she lost two straight from the 11th day and lost three in a row, but on the 13th day, she won a fierce sumo match against Saki Abu, who was the same age as the sole leader, and was once again in contention for the championship. lined up at the top.

Then, in the absence of Yokozuna, he competed for the championship until the end and closed the ring, and won the direct confrontation at the end of the final performance and won the championship.

Hiramaku wrestlers have won three places in a row up to the previous place, but Ozeki won the championship for the first time in 10 places since Terunofuji in the summer place last year.

Takakeisho's 3rd win

Takakage Ozeki, who won the championship for the third time, is 26 years old from Ashiya City, Hyogo Prefecture.

With a height of 1.75 cm and a weight of 165 kg, he is known for his powerful pushes, and his strength is his mental strength that keeps his expression on his face regardless of whether he wins or loses.

He started sumo wrestling in elementary school, and became a junior high school yokozuna when he defeated Abusaki, who was contending for the Imabasho title, in the final of the national tournament in junior high school.

In high school, I went to Saitama Sakae, which has produced many sekitori.

After the autumn tournament in 2018, Takanohana Oyakata retired from the Japan Sumo Association and the Takanohana stable disappeared, so he moved to Chiganoura stable.

Immediately after that, he won his first victory in the Kyushu tournament with a good record of 13 wins and 2 losses, and since then he has won double digits in three consecutive tournaments, and was promoted to ozeki after the spring tournament four years ago.

However, he injured his right knee in the summer tournament, which was highly anticipated as a new Ozeki, and had to take a rest midway through.

In the following autumn place, he decided to return to Ozeki in one place with 12 wins and 3 losses, but he suffered a serious injury to his left chest in the championship match of Chiakiraku.

Furthermore, although he suffered from injuries such as hurting his left knee in the July place three years ago, in the November place of that year, while the signboard wrestlers were absent one after another, he was the only Ozeki with a strong mental strength and competed in the ring. He continued to tighten and won the championship for the first time in two years.

The name of the room he belongs to has changed to Tokiwayama stable.

After that, he was injured one after another, and in the Nagoya tournament in July last year, he injured his neck and was suspended.

His first place last year was also sidelined with a ligament injury in his right leg.

Even so, Takakeisho energetically practiced and further refined his characteristic strong thrust, and raised double-digit wins in three consecutive tournaments starting from last year's Nagoya tournament.

Among them, the top place, which won 12 wins, was involved in the battle for the championship until the end, but at Chiakiraku, they lost in the final match between three people, and fell one step short of winning.

In response to this result, the Japan Sumo Association explained at the yokozuna deliberation committee after the tournament, ``If you win with results equivalent to the current tournament, you may be asked to promote to yokozuna.''

Fulfilling the responsibility of being the only Ozeki in the absence of Yokozuna

"Do what you gotta do".

Before the tournament, Takakeisho expressed his responsibility as the top ranked wrestler.

The possibility of a "Tsunatori" was suggested as a condition of winning with high-level results.

Takakeisho said, "It's been my dream since I was little to become a yokozuna. I don't get many chances in my life as a sumo wrestler, so I'm determined to win sumo."

What he worked on to make his dream come true was to expand the range of outlets.

Due to the effects of repeated injuries, the original sumo, which hits hard and low from the head, has been hidden in the shadows.

In the rehearsal room, I refined my characteristic push while devising a hit.

Assuming that he couldn't push it in at once, he researched how to attack with two arrows and three arrows.

He also practiced in fours.

This is the place we welcomed you.

Takakeisho took responsibility as his signature sumo wrestler and stood in the ring.

However, he was defeated by Shoen on the second day, and the challenge of "Tsunatori" was already overshadowed.

Still, after that, it was an eight-game winning streak.

As the only ozeki, he led the battle for the championship with his spirited thrusts, good timing in critical moments, and calmly scoring kote-throws.

However, in the final stages, they lost painfully on the 11th and 12th days.

After suffering his third loss on the 12th day, Head of Referee Sadogatake expressed his view that Takakeisho's promotion to yokozuna was "difficult to see how he lost yesterday."

Even so, he urged encouragement by saying, "By nature, he is a strong-willed sumo wrestler. I want him to recover and fulfill his responsibilities as an ozeki."

On the 13th day, she went head-to-head with Saki Abu, who stands alone at the top.

In the match against an opponent of the same age who has been competing since childhood, Takakeisho hits low with his head and breaks the opponent's balance with a strike from the left, stopping his legs with a strong strike, and finally, his body. I pushed it under the dohyo as if to hit it.

It was Ozeki's determination that he showed in the big game that victory was far away if he lost.

Former Ozeki Musoyama Deputy Head Referee Fujishima, who was watching this match from the ring, said, "It was a good sumo wrestling with a good feeling. I can expect it when I see today's sumo wrestling."

As expected, Takakeisho kept his focus on the number one in front of him and stayed in the fight for the win until the very end, earning his third Trophy.

Although promotion to yokozuna after the Ima tournament became difficult, he fulfilled his responsibility as the only ozeki in the absence of yokozuna.