Latest news with #Wakamotoharu
The Mainichi
14-07-2025
- Sport
- The Mainichi
Sumo: Onosato manhandles Aonishiki, but Hoshoryu suffers Day 2 upset
NAGOYA (Kyodo) -- New yokozuna Onosato blew away rising Ukrainian talent Aonishiki, but fellow grand champion Hoshoryu suffered his first loss in an upset against top-ranked maegashira Wakamotoharu at the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament on Monday. Star attraction Onosato maintained his perfect record as a grand champion with an overwhelming victory against No. 1 maegashira Aonishiki in the final bout of Day 2 at IG Arena. The 21-year-old European had caused a sensation with his opening-day victory over ozeki Kotozakura, but he had no chance to spring another upset as he was bulldozed straight off the dohyo by the 192-centimeter, 191-kilogram yokozuna. Onosato, 25, is bidding for his third straight Emperor's Cup at the 15-day tournament after achieving yokozuna promotion at a record pace on the back of consecutive championships in March and May. Hoshoryu, winner of 13 of his 15 previous bouts against Wakamotoharu, narrowly avoided a slap down at the hands of the former sekiwake before appearing to establish the stronger position in the clinch. But Wakamotoharu (1-1) seized an opening when the yokozuna loosened his right hand while searching for an inside grip, forcing him back over the edge. "I thought I wouldn't be able to stop him if I faced him square, so the idea was to attack him from the side a bit," said Wakamotoharu, who earned his second "kinboshi" gold star prize for defeating a yokozuna as a rank-and-file wrestler. "I was trying to attack him patiently as I didn't have an overarm grip, but his body went up as he tried to alter his belt-holding position and I thought I just had to drive forward." Ozeki Kotozakura bounced back from his opening day loss to Aonishiki with a marathon victory against No. 2 maegashira Oho (0-2). The two grandsons of former yokozuna locked up in an extended stalemate before Kotozakura drove Oho backward over the straw bales. Kirishima, aiming to move back up to ozeki from sekiwake, stayed unbeaten by dispatching No. 2 maegashira Abi (1-1) with an overarm throw. Sekiwake Wakatakakage (2-0) continued his impressive start to the competition, getting an inside position and using solid footwork to force out winless No. 3 maegashira Onokatsu. Komusubi Takayasu (1-1) got off the mark by thrusting down No. 3 maegashira Kinbozan (1-1), but Mongolian Oshoma remained winless in his komusubi debut after being crushed out by No. 4 maegashira Hakuoho (1-1).
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Big surprise in sumo. The sport has a new champion -- and he's Japanese
Onosato, left, wrestles with Wakamotoharu in a sumo wrestling tournament at Ryogoku Kokugikan arena in Tokyo, Sunday, May 11, 2025. (Taichi Nagahisa/Kyodo News via AP) Onosato, right, raises hands for his victory of a sumo wrestling tournament during a celebratory parade at Ryogoku Kokugikan arena in Tokyo, Sunday, May 25, 2025. (Daiki Katagiri/Kyodo News via AP) Onosato speaks during an interview with media members at his sumo training facility after winning a sumo wrestling tournament in Ami, northeast of Tokyo, Monday, May 26, 2025. (Yuya Shino/Kyodo News via AP) Onosato receives the trophy after winning in a sumo wrestling tournament at Ryogoku Kokugikan arena in Tokyo, Sunday, May 25, 2025. (Kyodo News via AP) Onosato receives the trophy after winning in a sumo wrestling tournament at Ryogoku Kokugikan arena in Tokyo, Sunday, May 25, 2025. (Kyodo News via AP) Onosato, left, wrestles with Wakamotoharu in a sumo wrestling tournament at Ryogoku Kokugikan arena in Tokyo, Sunday, May 11, 2025. (Taichi Nagahisa/Kyodo News via AP) Onosato, right, raises hands for his victory of a sumo wrestling tournament during a celebratory parade at Ryogoku Kokugikan arena in Tokyo, Sunday, May 25, 2025. (Daiki Katagiri/Kyodo News via AP) Onosato speaks during an interview with media members at his sumo training facility after winning a sumo wrestling tournament in Ami, northeast of Tokyo, Monday, May 26, 2025. (Yuya Shino/Kyodo News via AP) Onosato receives the trophy after winning in a sumo wrestling tournament at Ryogoku Kokugikan arena in Tokyo, Sunday, May 25, 2025. (Kyodo News via AP) TOKYO (AP) — Japan has a new sumo grand champion — or yokozuna — and the big news is he's Japanese. Onosato, the new grand champion, weighs 191 kilograms (421 pounds) and he is the first Japanese competitor to reach the top rank since 2017. By comparison, the average weight of an NFL lineman is about 140 kilos, or just over 300 pounds. Advertisement The sport has recently been dominated by Mongolians and prior to Onosato, six of the previous seven yokozunas have been from Mongolia. Onosato, whose real name is Daiki Nakamura, is only 24 and was promoted Wednesday to sumo's top rank by the Japan Sumo Association. Onosato was promoted by winning last week's Summer Grand Sumo Tournament, which came after he won another prestigious tournament in March. Sumo is regarded as Japan's national sport, or most sacred sport and many of the ritual elements are connected to Shinto, Japan's indigineous religion. Sumo's origins date back more than 1,000 years and Japan is the only country where it is competed on a professional level. Advertisement The sport is highly regimented with many wrestlers living in communal training facilities where food and dress and are controled by ancient traditions. Onosato's promotion will set up an instant rivaly with Mongolia-born Hoshoryu. The Japanese news agency Kyodo said they are due to meet in a tournament in July in the central city of Nagoya. ___ AP sports:
Kyodo News
13-05-2025
- Sport
- Kyodo News
Sumo: Lone yokozuna Hoshoryu cruises to 2nd win against Wakamotoharu
KYODO NEWS - 16 hours ago - 20:28 | Sports, All, Japan Lone yokozuna Hoshoryu notched another convincing win Monday at the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament, crushing out No. 1 maegashira Wakamotoharu in a one-sided contest. The Mongolian star, who withdrew injured from his yokozuna debut tournament in March, overwhelmed former sekiwake Wakamotoharu with speed and technique in the final bout of Day 2 at Ryogoku Kokugikan arena in Tokyo. A day after defeating Wakamotoharu's younger brother, komusubi Wakatakakage, Hoshoryu exploded out of the blocks and drove his winless opponent off the dohyo before he had any chance to recover. "I'm glad I was able to get it done the way I wanted," said Hoshoryu, who showed no signs of the elbow trouble that prompted his withdrawal from the previous meet. "I've been training hard, doing the things I need to do." Ozeki Onosato made further progress in his bid for yokozuna promotion at the 15-day tournament, outmaneuvering komusubi Takayasu in a rematch of their tie-breaking playoff for the championship in March. Three-time Emperor's Cup winner Onosato (2-0) was once again too strong for former ozeki Takayasu (0-2), halting his forward momentum before slapping him down. Ozeki Kotozakura bounced back from his opening-day loss to former sekiwake Oho with a hand pull-down victory against No. 2 maegashira Abi (0-2). Sekiwake Daieisho, gunning for a big win total that could earn him ozeki promotion, improved to 2-0 by thrusting down No. 2 maegashira Gonoyama (0-2). Wakatakakage opened his account with an under-shoulder swing down against No. 3 maegashira Tamawashi (1-1), while No. 1 maegashira Oho earned another impressive victory, this time by thrusting out sekiwake Kirishima (1-1). Related coverage: Sumo: Hoshoryu makes winning start by pushing out Wakatakakage Sumo: Onosato conquered pressure of ozeki status to win third title Sumo: 2 Ukrainian wrestlers make impression at Osaka tournament
The Mainichi
12-05-2025
- Sport
- The Mainichi
Sumo: Lone yokozuna Hoshoryu cruises to 2nd win against Wakamotoharu
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Lone yokozuna Hoshoryu notched another convincing win Monday at the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament, crushing out No. 1 maegashira Wakamotoharu in a one-sided contest. The Mongolian star, who withdrew injured from his yokozuna debut tournament in March, overwhelmed former sekiwake Wakamotoharu with speed and technique in the final bout of Day 2 at Ryogoku Kokugikan arena in Tokyo. A day after defeating Wakamotoharu's younger brother, komusubi Wakatakakage, Hoshoryu exploded out of the blocks and drove his winless opponent off the dohyo before he had any chance to recover. Ozeki Onosato made further progress in his bid for yokozuna promotion at the 15-day tournament, outmaneuvering komusubi Takayasu in a rematch of their tie-breaking playoff for the championship in March. Three-time Emperor's Cup winner Onosato (2-0) was once again too strong for former ozeki Takayasu (0-2), halting his forward momentum before slapping him down. Ozeki Kotozakura bounced back from his opening-day loss to former sekiwake Oho with a hand pull-down victory against No. 2 maegashira Abi (0-2). Sekiwake Daieisho, gunning for a big win total that could earn him ozeki promotion, improved to 2-0 by thrusting down No. 2 maegashira Gonoyama (0-2). Wakatakakage opened his account with an under-shoulder swing down against No. 3 maegashira Tamawashi (1-1), while No. 1 maegashira Oho earned another impressive victory, this time by thrusting out sekiwake Kirishima (1-1).
Kyodo News
12-05-2025
- Sport
- Kyodo News
Sumo: Lone yokozuna Hoshoryu cruises to 2nd win against Wakamotoharu
KYODO NEWS - 6 minutes ago - 19:12 | Sports, All, Japan Lone yokozuna Hoshoryu notched another convincing win Monday at the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament, crushing out No. 1 maegashira Wakamotoharu in a one-sided contest. The Mongolian star, who withdrew injured from his yokozuna debut tournament in March, overwhelmed former sekiwake Wakamotoharu with speed and technique in the final bout of Day 2 at Ryogoku Kokugikan arena in Tokyo. A day after defeating Wakamotoharu's younger brother, komusubi Wakatakakage, Hoshoryu exploded out of the blocks and drove his winless opponent off the dohyo before he had any chance to recover. Ozeki Onosato made further progress in his bid for yokozuna promotion at the 15-day tournament, outmaneuvering komusubi Takayasu in a rematch of their tie-breaking playoff for the championship in March. Three-time Emperor's Cup winner Onosato (2-0) was once again too strong for former ozeki Takayasu (0-2), halting his forward momentum before slapping him down. Ozeki Kotozakura bounced back from his opening-day loss to former sekiwake Oho with a hand pull-down victory against No. 2 maegashira Abi (0-2). Sekiwake Daieisho, gunning for a big win total that could earn him ozeki promotion, improved to 2-0 by thrusting down No. 2 maegashira Gonoyama (0-2). Wakatakakage opened his account with an under-shoulder swing down against No. 3 maegashira Tamawashi (1-1), while No. 1 maegashira Oho earned another impressive victory, this time by thrusting out sekiwake Kirishima (1-1). Related coverage: Sumo: Hoshoryu makes winning start by pushing out Wakatakakage Sumo: Onosato conquered pressure of ozeki status to win third title Sumo: 2 Ukrainian wrestlers make impression at Osaka tournament
