Latest news with #Aonishiki
Kyodo News
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Kyodo News
Sumo: Onosato improves to 10-0, moves 2 wins ahead in title race
KYODO NEWS - 22 hours ago - 18:58 | Sports, All Ozeki Onosato advanced to a perfect 10-0 and moved two wins clear in the title race Tuesday at the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament with an easy victory over No. 4 maegashira Ichiyamamoto. The 24-year-old powerhouse received a big boost in his quest for back-to-back championships and promotion to yokozuna after his nearest rivals coming into Day 10, rank-and-file youngsters Hakuoho and Aonishiki, both dropped to 8-2. Current sole yokozuna Hoshoryu, meanwhile, improved to 8-2, but ozeki Kotozakura struggled to find consistency as he dropped to 6-4 at Ryogoku Kokugikan arena. Having won their only previous meeting in the top division, Onosato was never in doubt against Ichiyamamoto (4-6), driving him to the edge and pushing him down after the maegashira half-heartedly tried an evasive maneuver. Hoshoryu used a rear push out to dispatch agile No. 5 maegashira Ura (2-8), sending him over the edge after an unsuccessful slap-down attempt at the opening charge. The yokozuna moved onto the second rung of the leaderboard alongside Hakuoho, Aonishiki and komusubi Wakatakakage. Former sekiwake Wakatakakage (8-2) clinched his winning record by defeating exciting young Ukrainian prospect Aonishiki in one of the day's highlight bouts. Exhibiting similar styles, but with a gulf in experience between them, the pair grappled furiously before Wakatakakage toppled 21-year-old No. 9 maegashira Aonishiki with an under-shoulder swing down. "Whoever I face, I'm just concentrating on doing my own sumo," Wakatakakage said. Sekiwake Daieisho (7-3) overwhelmed No. 7 maegashira Hakuoho by sticking to his strengths and unleashing a decisive thrusting attack straight from the jump. Kotozakura was once again unable to overcome one of his bogey opponents, current sekiwake and former ozeki Kirishima (7-3), who improved to 13-4 in their head-to-head rivalry with a force out. Related coverage: Sumo: Onosato stays perfect as Hakuoho, Aonishiki keep up pressure
Kyodo News
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Kyodo News
Sumo: Onosato improves to 10-0, moves 2 wins ahead in title race
KYODO NEWS - 37 minutes ago - 18:58 | Sports, All Ozeki Onosato advanced to a perfect 10-0 and moved two wins clear in the title race Tuesday at the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament with an easy victory over No. 4 maegashira Ichiyamamoto. The 24-year-old powerhouse received a big boost in his quest for back-to-back championships and promotion to yokozuna after his nearest rivals coming into Day 10, rank-and-file youngsters Hakuoho and Aonishiki, both dropped to 8-2. Current sole yokozuna Hoshoryu, meanwhile, improved to 8-2, but ozeki Kotozakura struggled to find consistency as he dropped to 6-4 at Ryogoku Kokugikan arena. Having won their only previous meeting in the top division, Onosato was never in doubt against Ichiyamamoto (4-6), driving him to the edge and pushing him down after the maegashira half-heartedly tried an evasive maneuver. Hoshoryu used a rear push out to dispatch agile No. 5 maegashira Ura (2-8), sending him over the edge after an unsuccessful slap-down attempt at the opening charge. The yokozuna moved onto the second rung of the leaderboard alongside Hakuoho, Aonishiki and komusubi Wakatakakage. Former sekiwake Wakatakakage (8-2) clinched his winning record by defeating exciting young Ukrainian prospect Aonishiki in one of the day's highlight bouts. Exhibiting similar styles, but with a gulf in experience between them, the pair grappled furiously before Wakatakakage toppled 21-year-old No. 9 maegashira Aonishiki with an under-shoulder swing down. "Whoever I face, I'm just concentrating on doing my own sumo," Wakatakakage said. Sekiwake Daieisho (7-3) overwhelmed No. 7 maegashira Hakuoho by sticking to his strengths and unleashing a decisive thrusting attack straight from the jump. Kotozakura was once again unable to overcome one of his bogey opponents, current sekiwake and former ozeki Kirishima (7-3), who improved to 13-4 in their head-to-head rivalry with a force out. Related coverage: Sumo: Onosato stays perfect as Hakuoho, Aonishiki keep up pressure
The Mainichi
20-05-2025
- Sport
- The Mainichi
Sumo: Onosato improves to 10-0, moves 2 wins ahead in title race
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Ozeki Onosato advanced to a perfect 10-0 and moved two wins clear in the title race Tuesday at the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament with an easy victory over No. 4 maegashira Ichiyamamoto. The 24-year-old powerhouse received a big boost in his quest for back-to-back championships and promotion to yokozuna after his nearest rivals coming into Day 10, rank-and-file youngsters Hakuoho and Aonishiki, both dropped to 8-2. Current sole yokozuna Hoshoryu, meanwhile, improved to 8-2, but ozeki Kotozakura struggled to find consistency as he dropped to 6-4 at Ryogoku Kokugikan arena. Having won their only previous meeting in the top division, Onosato was never in doubt against Ichiyamamoto (4-6), driving him to the edge and pushing him down after the maegashira half-heartedly tried an evasive maneuver. Hoshoryu used a rear push out to dispatch agile No. 5 maegashira Ura (2-8), sending him over the edge after an unsuccessful slap-down attempt at the opening charge. The yokozuna moved onto the second rung of the leaderboard alongside Hakuoho, Aonishiki and komusubi Wakatakakage. Former sekiwake Wakatakakage (8-2) clinched his winning record by defeating exciting young Ukrainian prospect Aonishiki in one of the day's highlight bouts. Exhibiting similar styles, but with a gulf in experience between them, the pair grappled furiously before Wakatakakage toppled 21-year-old No. 9 maegashira Aonishiki with an under-shoulder swing down. "Whoever I face, I'm just concentrating on doing my own sumo," Wakatakakage said. Sekiwake Daieisho (7-3) overwhelmed No. 7 maegashira Hakuoho by sticking to his strengths and unleashing a decisive thrusting attack straight from the jump. Kotozakura was once again unable to overcome one of his bogey opponents, current sekiwake and former ozeki Kirishima (7-3), who improved to 13-4 in their head-to-head rivalry with a force out.
The Mainichi
19-05-2025
- Sport
- The Mainichi
Sumo: Onosato stays perfect as Hakuoho, Aonishiki keep up pressure
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Ozeki Onosato eased to his ninth straight win at the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament on Monday as rank-and-file Hakuoho and Aonishiki secured winning records to keep a close check on the yokozuna promotion hopeful. The Spring meet champion in March, Onosato (9-0) produced strong shoves before his attempted slap-down sent No. 5 maegashira Ura (2-7) to the edge of the raised ring at Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan arena. The stocky trickster desperately stayed inside but the ozeki, who can reach the top rank by winning another Emperor's Cup this month or post a record deemed as good, made one last push to send his opponent flying out. No. 7 maegashira Hakuoho (8-1) drove straight into the chest of No. 10 maegashira Shodai (3-6) and forced out the former ozeki in a matter of seconds to bounce back from his first defeat a day earlier. The 21-year-old fought for the title until the final day on his top-tier makuuchi debut in July 2023, but had a left shoulder surgery soon after and only returned to the division this January. Ukrainian No. 9 maegashira Aonishiki (8-1) traded shoves with Chiyoshoma (2-7) but never backed off before pushing out the No. 5 maegashira, clinching back-to-back winning records having gone 11-4 on his makuuchi debut in March in Osaka. Yokozuna Hoshoryu (7-2) dealt with early pushes to his throat by No. 4 maegashira Ichiyamamoto (4-5) and timed his slap-down perfectly for his fifth straight win. Komusubi Wakatakakage (7-2) took a step back from the title race after he could not respond to a powerful pull down from No. 2 maegashira Abi (5-4) moments after the opening clash. No. 17 maegashira Asakoryu won to join Hoshoryu and Wakatakakage at 7-2. Ozeki Kotozakura (6-3) moved to his right and floored komusubi Takayasu (2-7) with a pulling overarm throw, while sekiwake Daieisho (6-3) suffered a damaging defeat in his highly challenging ozeki promotion bid after he was overpowered and thrust out by 40-year-old No. 3 megashira Tamawashi (3-6). After going 11-4 and 9-6 in the past two meets, Daieisho needed to avoid any further defeat this month to reach the usual required promotion standard of 33 wins over three straight meets wrestling as sekiwake or komusubi.
Yomiuri Shimbun
30-04-2025
- Sport
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Sumo Scene / Rising Ukrainian Wrestler Aonishiki Looks to Make Waves in Summer Tourney
The Yomiuri Shimbun Aonishiki, right, launches an attack against Meisei on March 20 during one of his 11 wins in his makuuchi division debut at the Spring Grand Sumo Tournament in Osaka. The Summer Grand Sumo Tournament is fast approaching. If ozeki Onosato, fresh off winning a third career title in the Spring tourney, can achieve a similar result, it will heat up talk of his promotion to yokozuna. There is no dearth of topics for discussion regarding the tournament starting on May 11, but personally, I am most intrigued to see how Ukrainian wrestler Aonishiki fares in just his second tourney in the uppermost makuuchi division. Back in Ukraine, which has a rich history in combat sports, Aonishiki participated in amateur sumo and wrestling, and even competed internationally. However, following the Russian invasion into his homeland, he left his country in 2022 in search of a stable environment to continue practicing sumo. He made his way to Japan and joined the sumo club at Kansai University, where he immersed himself in his training. Through an introduction to stablemaster Ajigawa (former sekiwake Aminishiki) through a university connection, he turned pro and made his debut at the 2023 Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament. From there, he rapidly shot up the rankings, remarkably reaching the makuuchi division in just nine tournaments. Having just turned 21 in March, he has lofty ambitions. 'My goal is even higher,' he declared upon his promotion to the top tier. At the Spring tournament, early jitters led to a slow start. But as the competition progressed, he found his footing against the top competition. His style is particularly striking — despite standing a robust 1.82 meters, he consistently lowers his stance, rounds his back and drives forward relentlessly. His makuuchi debut notwithstanding, he found himself in contention for the championship until the closing days. On the final day, he defeated sekiwake Oho with a tenacious and well-executed attack to finish with an impressive 11-4 record that earned him the Fighting Spirit Prize. That drew high praise from Japan Sumo Association Chairman Hakkaku (former yokozuna Hokutoumi), who said: 'His core appears exceptionally strong. I look forward to seeing how he does in the future. 'Most importantly, his earnest commitment to sumo is noteworthy,' he added, a nod to the hardships Aonishiki has overcome. With a higher ranking — he is now a No. 9 maegashira — there is no doubt that the other wrestlers will be studying him, aiming to exploit any weaknesses. I am eager to see if he can create a Ukrainian sensation in the early summer ring, where his true potential will be tested. — Kamimura is a sumo expert.
