Sumo: Ukrainian Aonishiki fuels predictions of future ozeki promotion
Competing as a No. 1 maegashira, the 21-year-old was in the title race until his loss on the final day of the 15-day tournament to Kotoshoho, who clinched the championship by winning their match on Sunday.
Aonishiki has compiled an impressive 11-4 record in each of his three tournaments in the elite makuuchi division, employing a low-to-the-ground stance that reflects his background in the sport of wrestling as a youth.
Stablemaster Kokonoe, formerly ozeki Chiyotaikai, compared the youngster's dynamic grappling style to that of a past great.
"He reminds me of (former ozeki) Tochiazuma, when he was on his way up," Kokonoe said.
Despite his forward leaning posture, Aonishiki has not been vulnerable to pulling techniques, with one opponent wryly observing that he "never goes down."
Sumo elder Takekuma, formerly ozeki Goeido, said Aonishiki exhibited both excellent strength and technique.
"It shows the strength of his abdominals and back muscles," Takekuma said. "Since both legs are never in line, you can't slap him down."
Stablemaster Asakayama is also among the elders impressed by the emerging European star, having seen firsthand his dedication and will to improve during practice sessions.
"He's focused on one thing, how he can get stronger," Asakayama, formerly ozeki Kaio, said.
Speaking after his loss to Kotoshoho on Sunday in Nagoya, Aonishiki indicated his strong desire to continue climbing toward sumo's upper echelon.
"My sumo life starts from here," he said.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Japan Today
4 hours ago
- Japan Today
Katie Ledecky remains unbeatable in 1,500 freestyle taking title again at worlds
Katie Ledecky of the United States celebrates after winning gold medal in the women's 1500m freestyle final at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, Tuesday, July 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian) swimming By STEPHEN WADE Katie Ledecky has ceded a tiny bit of ground in other events, but she's still unbeatable in the 1,500-meter freestyle. She won it again Tuesday in the swimming world championships in Singapore, finishing in 15 minutes, 26.44 seconds. Simona Quadarella of Italy took silver in 15:31.79 – a European record – with bronze for Lani Pallister of Australia in 15:41.18 in a very quick-paced race. 'I was just trying to get out fast, but comfortable enough that I could go from there,' Ledecky said. 'I'm happy with the time and happy with the swim.' 'I love this race,' she added. 'It was the race I broke my first world record in 2013. Lots of great races over the years.' Ledecky was ahead of her world-record pace through 1,250 meters, pushed early by Pallister. It was Ledecky's second medal in these games after taking bronze in the 400 free behind Canadian Summer McIntosh. The numbers speak to Ledecky's dominance, the most decorated female swimmer in history who has been on top for more than a decade. With Tuesday's swim she now owns 25 the top 26 times in history in the 1,500. Her time Tuesday was the fifth fastest, not far off her world record of 15:20.48 set in 2018. It was her 22nd gold medal in a world championships and her 28th overall. Add to that nine Olympic gold medals and 14 overall. If you're not counting, that's 42 Olympic and world medals – 31 gold. Watching from the stands was new International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry. She was joined by former president Thomas Bach. Coventry was an Olympic gold-medal winner for Zimbabwe in 2004 and 2008 in the 200-meter backstroke. The Americans had the top qualifying times going into four finals and won one gold and three silver medals with very close finishes in all three. The United States team have been battling what officials called 'acute gastroenteritis' picked up at a training camp in Thailand before arriving in Singapore. American head coach Greg Meehan said much of team had turned the corner. 'We're taking it a day at a time,' he said in an interview with American network NBC. 'Obviously, this is not how we thought the first few days of this competition would go. But I'm really proud of our team, our medical staff working overtime. You don't want your medical staff working overtime.' 'If you were in our team area you would never know that the overall majority of the team has gone through something over the last few days,' Meehan added, saying the team 'vibe' was good. McIntosh, who won two gold medals the first two days, did not race on Tuesday, Day 3 of the competition. She will face Ledecky in the 800, maybe the most anticipated race of the worlds. Paris Olympic champion David Popovici of Romania won the 200-meter freestyle, overtaking American Luke Hobson in the last 50 meters for the victory. Popovici swam 1:43.53 with Hobson across in 1:43.84. Tatsuya Murasa of Japan was third in 1:44.54. 'I think it was better than the Olympics to be honest,' Popovici said of the victory. 'You know why? Because I trained a lot for the Olympics. But this coming for a more relaxed year, easygoing year after the Olympics. I don't know. I feel very proud of myself.' Kaylee McKeown of Australia took the women's 100-meter backstroke, closing over the last 50 to beat American Regan Smith. McKeown finished in 57.16 – just .03 off the world record held by Smith. Smith finished in 57.35 with bronze for American Katharine Berkoff in 58.15. McKeown is the two-time defending Olympic champion in this race and also in the 200 backstroke. She also beat Smith a year ago in Paris with Smith taking silver. Pieter Coetze of South Africa represents a new wave of contenders with the 21 year old winning the men's 100 backstroke in 51.85 seconds. Thomas Ceccon of Italy took silver in 51.90, with bronze for Yohann Ndoye-Brouard in 51.92. Ceccon is the world-record holder in 51.60. In the last final of the night, Anna Elendt of Germany — swimming from Lane 1 — took the women's 100-meter breaststroke in 1:05.19. American Kate Douglass took silver in 1:05.27, with bronze for Tang Qianting of China in 1:05.64. 'I am so speechless,' Elendt said. Germany has been piling it on. Lukas Martens took gold on Sunday in the 400 free. Florian Wellbrock also won four gold medals in the open-water events which took place earlier in the championships. In the semifinals, Luca Urlando of the United States was the top qualifier in the 200 fly (1:52.84), teammate Claire Weinstein led the women's 200 free (1:54.69), and China's Qin Haiyang led the 50 breaststroke (26.52). Ahmed Jaouadi of Tunisia was quickest in the 800 free in morning prelims (7:41.58). © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
The Mainichi
17 hours ago
- The Mainichi
Sumo: Ukrainian Aonishiki fuels predictions of future ozeki promotion
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Although he came up short in his bid for a maiden top-division championship, rising Ukrainian grappler Aonishiki's stellar performance at the recent Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament has some insiders predicting his eventual promotion to the lofty rank of ozeki. Competing as a No. 1 maegashira, the 21-year-old was in the title race until his loss on the final day of the 15-day tournament to Kotoshoho, who clinched the championship by winning their match on Sunday. Aonishiki has compiled an impressive 11-4 record in each of his three tournaments in the elite makuuchi division, employing a low-to-the-ground stance that reflects his background in the sport of wrestling as a youth. Stablemaster Kokonoe, formerly ozeki Chiyotaikai, compared the youngster's dynamic grappling style to that of a past great. "He reminds me of (former ozeki) Tochiazuma, when he was on his way up," Kokonoe said. Despite his forward leaning posture, Aonishiki has not been vulnerable to pulling techniques, with one opponent wryly observing that he "never goes down." Sumo elder Takekuma, formerly ozeki Goeido, said Aonishiki exhibited both excellent strength and technique. "It shows the strength of his abdominals and back muscles," Takekuma said. "Since both legs are never in line, you can't slap him down." Stablemaster Asakayama is also among the elders impressed by the emerging European star, having seen firsthand his dedication and will to improve during practice sessions. "He's focused on one thing, how he can get stronger," Asakayama, formerly ozeki Kaio, said. Speaking after his loss to Kotoshoho on Sunday in Nagoya, Aonishiki indicated his strong desire to continue climbing toward sumo's upper echelon. "My sumo life starts from here," he said.
Japan Today
a day ago
- Japan Today
England's Lionesses return to heroes' welcome after Euro 2025 glory
England fans wait to welcome the Lionesses at Southend airport soccer By John WEAVER England's Lionesses returned to a heroes' welcome on Monday, less than 24 hours after their dramatic penalty-shootout victory against world champions Spain in the Euro 2025 final. Chloe Kelly converted the decisive spot-kick in the Swiss city of Basel as Sarina Wiegman's team successfully defended the European women's crown they won at Wembley in 2022. Supporters, many of whom were dressed in England kits and holding flags, cheered as they waited outside Southend airport, about 40 miles (64 kilometres) east of London. In a post on X, the team shared a photo of the trophy draped in an England flag on a seat on the plane, which had "Home" painted in red letters on its side. The aircraft was welcomed with a water salute from two fire engines after landing. Captain Leah Williamson and manager Wiegman were the first off, with the skipper proudly holding the trophy. Among the waiting supporters were twins Poppy and Daisy Macdonald, 11, who were holding a sign asking for a photo with star striker Alessia Russo. "We're so proud. They've won it two times in a row and they've worked so hard for it," said Poppy. "They've had a lot of injuries and setbacks but they've done really well." The Lionesses will next be whisked straight to 10 Downing Street, the working home of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. An open-top bus parade will follow on Tuesday, culminating in a celebration in front of Buckingham Palace. Victory in Switzerland was sweet revenge for Wiegman's defending champions, who suffered bitter defeat against the same opponents in the World Cup final two years ago. King Charles III said the team had the royal family's "warmest appreciation and admiration" following their victory, adding: "The next task is to bring home the World Cup in 2027 if you possibly can." Starmer also hailed the triumph, saying: "The Lionesses have once again captured the hearts of the nation." The Downing Street reception will hosted by Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner and sports minister Stephanie Peacock. Red-and-white St George's flags were hanging around the famous black door ahead of the team's arrival later on Monday from a rainy Zurich. Victory in Switzerland on Sunday capped a remarkable tournament packed with late drama for England. Wiegman's team were slow out of the blocks, losing their first match against France, before comfortable wins over the Netherlands and Wales in the group phase. They came back from 2-0 down against Sweden in the quarter-finals before winning on penalties, and sealed their spot in Sunday's final with a last-gasp extra-time win over Italy. The defending champions again fell behind against Spain on Sunday but Russo cancelled out Mariona Caldentey's first-half opener and neither side could find a winner by the end of extra time. Two penalty saves by player-of-the-match Hannah Hampton and Salma Paralluelo's miss set the stage for Kelly, who also scored the winner against Germany in the 2022 final. In total, the Lionesses led for fewer than five minutes across the entire Euros knockout stage. "I must admit that this is the most chaotic and ridiculous tournament we have played," said Wiegman. "The players say we can win by any means, and we just never, ever give up." The Dutch coach, who has now won three European Championship crowns in a row, having led the Netherlands to victory in 2017, said she hoped England's win would boost women's football across the globe. "How I've experienced this tournament is that the level went up again, the intensity of the games went through the roof," she said. "That's what we've seen. "We've seen it in the games, but also in the data we have. I think this tournament broke every record again and that's great, and I hope that that will boost the women's game everywhere." © 2025 AFP
