Sumo is facing a potential chasm at the top of the ancient sport for the first time in more than 30 years after the only yokozuna, Terunofuji, announced his retirement yesterday. The Mongolian-born 33-year-old has struggled with injuries and withdrew from the ongoing New Year Grand Sumo Tournament in Tokyo on Thursday after forfeiting his bout.
He told reporters that he was retiring to train young wrestlers after “a tough 14 years” in the ring.
“I’ve given everything, but at this tournament, I wasn’t able to perform as I’d like, and you shouldn’t enter the ring if your mind and body are at half-strength,” he said.
Photo: AFP
“I feel that my body isn’t up to sumo so I have decided to retire,” he added.
Terunofuji, who has won 10 tournaments in his career, is sumo’s only active yokozuna.
A yokozuna — also known as “grand champion” — is a sumo wrestler who has achieved the highest rank in the sport.
Photo: AFP
Mongolian Hoshoryu has a chance to gain promotion to the exalted rank if he impresses at the New Year tournament. He had four wins and one loss after the opening five days.
If he fails, sumo would have no yokozuna for the first time since March 1993, when Hawaiian-born Akebono made his debut at the rank.
“When I first became a yokozuna, I didn’t think I would be able to continue wrestling for very long,” said Terunofuji, who was promoted to the top rank in July 2021.
“But the fans and other people supported me and encouraged me, and that feeling alone kept me going,” he added.
Terunofuji has been sumo’s lone yokozuna since the September 2021 retirement of Hakuho, who had a record 45 tournament victories.
Terunofuji completed just two of six tournaments last year as he dealt with injuries and other health problems including diabetes.
He has missed all or part of 13 of 21 tournaments since being promoted to yokozuna.
Terunofuji, who was born Gantulgyn Gan-Erdene in Mongolia’s capital, Ulan Bator, said he was looking forward to his new career as a stablemaster.
“I want to develop wrestlers who don’t tell lies, who don’t yield,” he said.
“Those are the kind of wrestlers who become strong,” he added.
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
Noelvi Marte on Sunday had seven RBIs and hit his first career grand slam with a drive off infielder Jorge Mateo, while Austin Wynn had a career-high six RBIs as the Cincinnati Reds scored their most runs in 26 years in a 24-2 rout of the Baltimore Orioles. Marte finished with five hits, including his eighth-inning homer off Mateo. Wynn hit a three-run homer in the ninth off catcher Gary Sanchez. Cincinnati scored its most runs since a 24-12 win against the Colorado Rockies on May 19, 1999, and finished with 25 hits. Baltimore allowed its most runs since a 30-3 loss to
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
Arne Slot has denied that Darwin Nunez was dropped from Liverpool’s win against West Ham because of a training-ground row with a member of his coaching staff. The Liverpool head coach on Sunday last week said that Nunez was absent from the 2-1 victory at Anfield, having felt unwell during training the day before, although the striker sat behind the substitutes throughout the game. Speculation has been rife that the Uruguay international, whom Slot criticized for his work rate against Wolves and Aston Villa in February, was left out for disciplinary reasons. Asked on Friday to clarify the situation, Slot said: “He
RSS