A sumo star was born in Japan on Sunday when 24-year-old Takerufuji became the first wrestler in 110 years to win a top-division tournament on his debut, triumphing at the 15-day Spring Grand Sumo Tournament in Osaka despite injuring his ankle on the penultimate day.
Takerufuji, whose injury had left him in a wheelchair outside the ring, shoved out the higher-ranked Gonoyama at the Edion Arena Osaka to the delight of the crowd, giving him an unassailable record of 13 wins and two losses to claim the Emperor’s Cup.
“I did it just through willpower. I didn’t really know what was going on,” Takerufuji said of his final win in a televised ringside interview.
Photo: AFP
His ascent to glory is the fastest in the traditional sport’s history.
It was only his 10th championship overall and took place just 18 months after he first set foot in sumo’s sacred dohyo ring as a competitor.
It is the first time since 1914 that a wrestler has won their first tournament in makuuchi, the top of sumo’s six divisions.
As is tradition, Takerufuji — whose real name is Mikiya Ishioka — was paraded through the streets of Osaka afterward in the back of a gleaming, open-top car as crowds waved and cheered.
He told reporters that on Saturday he had given up hope, after needing hospital treatment for an ankle-ligament injury that for a short while required the use of a wheelchair.
“At that point I had abandoned hope,” he said yesterday.
Then the highest-ranked wrestler, the yokozuna, “came to see me and he said: ‘You can do it. It’s not the result that counts, but the memory,’” he said.
Winning the tournament had been a “far-fetched dream, so I never thought I would make it this far,” he said.
Most of the top-ranked wrestlers had a tournament to forget after notching up multiple early losses, and the sole “grand champion,” Mongolian grappler Terunofuji, pulled out after the first week with a losing record.
“My stablemaster [manager] told me to pull out [after the injury], but I knew I would regret it for the rest of my life if I did,” Takerufuji said.
The young wrestler from Aomori in northern Japan has been rising fast, having only lost 10 times in 79 fights since his professional debut in September 2022.
He is so new that his hair has not yet grown long enough to be styled in the most elaborate top-knot worn by competitors, Japanese media said.
After winning the prestigious tournament, the 1.84m, 143kg Takerufuji was presented with a huge silver trophy.
His right ankle was bandaged and his thighs streaked with dirt.
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