All-time great wrestler Hakuho quits Japan Sumo Association with plans to form global body
TOKYO — Hakuho, a retired 'yokozuna' or grand champion and viewed by many as the sport's greatest wrestler, quit the Japan Sumo Association on Monday after an apparent falling out with the governing body of the ancient sport.
The Mongolia-born Hakuho was earlier sanctioned by the Japan Sumo Association, accused of failing to control the behavior of a wrestler in his so-called stable, the term used for a training team headed by retired wrestlers.
Hakuho's stable was closed a year ago. Japanese media reports say the wrestler in question engaged in physical violence. But closing a stable, instead of just punishing an individual wrestler, was unusual.
He did not directly criticize the professional Japan Sumo Association, but he said wrestlers who had trained under him were treated unfairly.
Hakuho, who was granted Japanese citizenship, said he had been in talks with the association but recently decided to quit because there was no hope of reopening his stable.
'After 25 years of loving sumo and being loved by sumo, I want to advance toward a new dream,' Hakuho told reporters Monday at a Tokyo hotel.
Hakuho said he wants to create a body to govern sumo outside Japan — the 'world sumo project.'
'When I think of my situation, I think it's best to contribute to sumo from the outside,' he said, wearing a dark suit and referring to the Japan Sumo Association.
Appearing with a lawyer and other officials he had tapped for his team, Hakuho said they were getting corporate sponsors to back sumo grand slams, which draw amateur sumo wrestlers from around the world, including children and women.
Hakuho said he was friends with Toyota Motor Corp. Chairman Akio Toyoda, who has expressed interest in supporting his efforts. Toyota already supports various amateur and professional sports activities.
Many regard the Mongolia-born Hakuko as the greatest champion in the sport's history and he holds many of its records.
Hahuko's late-father, who went by the given name of Monkhbat, was an Olympic silver medalist for Mongolia in 1968. He also competed in at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.
Sumo encompasses very strict rules and traditions that have prompted other top wrestlers to pursue careers outside the sport.
Hahuko retired from active wrestling in 2021.
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The Hindu
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One day there was a meeting with (Lalit) Bhanot, the Chief Coach, the president of the AFI, and Uwe and Neeraj. And then, at the end of the meeting, Neeraj said, 'I won't work anymore with Coach Uwe.' 'At that time, I wasn't even aware that there was any issue between the two of them. They had just won the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games together. But not long after that, in the spring of 2019, Neeraj and I started working together,' Klaus remembers. The early days of their partnership coincided with a series of injuries for Neeraj, who eventually had to undergo surgery on his elbow that kept him out of action for most of 2019. For all of Neeraj's talent, Klaus admits he wasn't thinking about Olympic gold at that point. 'At the time we started working together, we were mostly focusing on his rehab. So, we did a lot of gymnastics work. That's when I got an idea of just how well coordinated he was. 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Athletes took advantage of each other, and intrigue was commonplace. 'I don't think the system in India is very honest. The middle administration wants to feel important regardless of what is needed. Very early in my time in India, I came across an incident when a senior athlete took money from a younger thrower. The junior didn't even realise he was being taken advantage of, and I had to go and recover his money,' says Klaus. Uwe Hohn, Neeraj's former coach, was subject to this too. 'Before the Tokyo Olympics, it was clear that there were officials trying to get rid of him or at least not renew his contract. They had a couple of senior athletes give evidence that Uwe was coaching an athlete from Australia instead of paying attention to them. I was shocked at that. I said nothing like this had happened. It wasn't that Uwe was a bad coach. He had taken Neeraj to the Commonwealth and Asian Games gold. And when I asked these athletes why they had done this, they just said it was what they had to do,' says Klaus. He says he considered resigning alongside Uwe 'as a matter of principle' before ultimately deciding to stay on with Neeraj. There was none of this constant intrigue around Neeraj though. Klaus still isn't entirely clear why. 'I think some of it probably has to do with his upbringing. Most of family members are farmers and is a very decent group of people. But there was a clear honesty to Neeraj which was not common when I worked here. The other seniors would treat juniors like servants. They would have them carry their equipment after their sessions. I've never once seen Neeraj not carry his own javelins himself. There was never this sense of superiority — and this was after he became an Olympic champion,' he says. Some of Neeraj's honesty, Klaus feels, came from his motivation for getting into sport in the first place. 'I think a lot of the problem comes when you get into the sport because you are thinking about the outcome. I remember a piece of news I saw before the Tokyo Olympics, where Shivpal (Singh) was meeting the UP Chief Minister and he said something like India would win three medals but was not sure about the colour. Perhaps this happened to Johannes Vetter too. He was going into the Olympics as the huge favourite. I think he was thinking about breaking the world record there, but in the end, he picked up an injury. But I always felt it was very different for Neeraj. He was motivated by the process of throwing, never by the outcome. Because of that, it was never difficult to keep him focused,' says Klaus. His own role, he says, was fairly simple. 'As a teacher, I only had to support him in training and keep him on the right path. I don't think there was any pressure on me to work with Neeraj. I think the pressure was more on him. As a coach, I didn't think I could do it anymore, so there was no point in panicking. My job was to stay quiet and not do anything stupid that would disturb him,' says Klaus. While Klaus was able to play this role to perfection, some instances were harder than others. 'The one time I was really nervous — like I was back in school giving an examination again — was before the finals of the Tokyo Olympics,' he says. The Olympic gold, unexpected as it was, will always be a career-defining medal for Neeraj. 'It is, of course, the one I am most proud of. Not the World Championship. The Olympics is what made Neeraj great. All his sponsorships and fame happened because of it, without which he wouldn't have his millions. Maybe he would still have won the Worlds, but the Olympics is his greatest achievement,' says Klaus. Neeraj poses with his gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics. | Photo Credit: Getty Images But Klaus clarifies that it didn't define him. 'Nothing changed with Neeraj after the Olympic gold, and again I think that is because of his motivation for the sport. A lot of athletes get into the sport maybe because they wanted money or a job. But for Neeraj that wasn't the case, and I think that's where the difference is. So even though there was a lot of money, and there were all these girls who wanted to marry him, he didn't get distracted. I think the only thing that changed was that he got older and even more mature,' says Klaus. But while he didn't succumb to distractions, Neeraj was limited by injuries. Some have been well documented — like the elbow he had surgery on in 2019 and the recurrent groin injury that's bothered him over many years. There are also lesser-known ailments Klaus reveals — such as the time Neeraj fractured his little finger while practising hurdle jumps before the 2023 Worlds. But perhaps Klaus's toughest moment came in 2022, he says, when Neeraj picked up a groin injury during a practice session. 'He thought this was one of his best-ever workouts when it happened. He had warmed up well too. And he was throwing with a lot of power when he picked this up. When he got that, I felt it was going to be difficult to finish the season. We went to see a lot of specialists in Dubai, Italy and France,' says Klaus. Klaus credits Neeraj's eventual recovery to physiotherapist Ishan Marwaha's 'creative rehabilitation work'. However, he admits the injury did limit Neeraj's performance and says he wonders if he could have managed Neeraj's training better. 'I wonder if perhaps he was overloaded in training. That might have been a problem. But Neeraj was always someone who pushed himself. He always wanted to have a really good workout. That was his philosophy. I think 90 percent of his workouts were really hard ones. In all our time together, I remember there was just one day when he felt tired from throwing the day before and had to take a break,' says Klaus. Unfortunately for Neeraj, this time coincided with the rise of Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem, who would go on to beat him with a record throw at the Paris Games. Neeraj Chopra at the Paris Games. | Photo Credit: PTI 'I knew before Paris that it was going to be very difficult to win a second gold. Especially if you have to deal with athletes like Arshad. We knew Arshad had an injury because he had surgery, but right after that he was throwing over 90 metres! He's not a very fast thrower but he has textbook technique. I knew it was going to be difficult after he got that 92-metre throw (in his second throw of the Olympic final), but I thought Neeraj had that capacity. He got an 89-metre throw as well, but it wasn't enough. I am not disappointed. 'It wasn't that we did something wrong. Neeraj didn't have his best day, and that coincided with Arshad having a near perfect day. You can't be angry at Neeraj for this. You must accept it. Neeraj did so as well and he congratulated Arshad for it,' says Klaus. Klaus says he still keeps in touch with his former trainee. 'We don't speak, but we do send messages to each other. I congratulated him after he threw 90m (in the Doha Diamond League),' says Klaus. That throw, says Klaus, is a testament to how Neeraj — who now trains under world record holder Jan Zelezny — is still getting better. 'I think there was good wind in Doha which helped the throw, but what really stood out for me was Neeraj's run-up speed. He was so fast. It was a very powerful run-up,' says Klaus. Neeraj has spoken of being injury-free, especially regarding the persistent groin issue, and Klaus says that has played an important role behind his runway speed. 'The fact that his groin injury is healed doesn't really impact his running speed because the groin really gets activated at the crossover stage which follows the run-up. But at the same time, you won't run in so fast if you are afraid that your groin can't handle that power. Being injury-free is allowing him to run faster now. He's more confident that he can turn with that speed,' says Klaus. Despite becoming only the 26th man to breach the 90m barrier, Neeraj was beaten to first place by Julian Weber in Doha. He himself called the moment a bittersweet one, but Klaus believes he'll recover quickly enough. Julian Weber beat Neeraj in Doha Diamond League. | Photo Credit: REUTERS 'Neeraj goes into each competition thinking it's a new competition and the dice has to be rolled again. What was before does not count. It's the same even now. He throws 90m and then Weber comes and throws bigger. But he's someone who is fine with it. If someone else does better than him, he's OK. It's a good quality to have. Otherwise, you take too much stress,' he says. Klaus hopes Neeraj manages to stay injury-free if only so they could meet again. 'There is a Diamond League in Paris in July. I might be back home at that time, but I think I can take the train to Paris and meet him there,' he says. But Klaus has higher expectations for Neeraj than just another Diamond League. 'I think he can compete for many more years. He should compete in Los Angeles, of course, but I also think he can compete in Brisbane. I myself want to be around in another 10 years and I'd like to see this,' he says. Although he's back in India looking to unearth more talent, Klaus knows it won't be easy. For one, he's not going to be spending as much time in India as he had during his previous stint. Then of course there's the question of whether there are more diamonds out there. 'You had two very good throwers (Shivpal Yadav and Manu DP) and they both failed dope tests. Now you have another good thrower — Sachin Yadav, right? He is throwing well, and I hope he stays clean. But can you find another Neeraj? I don't know,' he says.
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
Wasteful India concede late goal to lose 2-3 against Netherlands in FIH Pro League
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