Sumo Tokyo Grand Sumo Tournament: Hoshoryu takes 2nd win

• Kotozakura, the winner of the Emperor Cup in November 2024 and previously seen as yokozuna material, finished makekoshi (負け越し), which means he suffered more losses than wins.
• Most ozeki, including Hoshoryu, initially performed quite disappointingly, making the tournament's first half a level field to rikishi across all ranks.
• The last reigning yokozuna, Terunofuji, resigned after just four bouts (2:2). Currently, there is no active yokozuna.
• Until Saturday, Kazakh-born Kinbozan (maegashira No.14) was the undisputed leader and was seen as the most likely tournament winner.
• Shinozeki Onosato, winner of the Tokyo autumn tournament 2024, had a terrible start (like all the ozeki) but finished kachikoshi (勝ち越し, more wins than losses, 9:6)
• The tournament finished in a playoff between Oho, Jinbozan, and Hoshoryu, with Hoshoryu beating both his opponents.

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Born Sugarragchaa Byambasuren in Mongolia in 1999, Hoshoryu is a nephew of Asashoryu, the first Mongolian yokozuna, one of the greatest rikishi in the country. Asashoryu, the 68th yokozuna, dominated the sport in the mid-2000s, picking up 25 Emperor's Cups before retiring in 2010. This is the first time the JSA has named a new yokozuna in three and a half years since Terunofuji earned a promotion. Terunofuji was promoted to the grand champion rank after the 2021 Nagoya tournament, but nagging injuries forced him to retire during the tournament held earlier this month. At that point, sumo fans feared that, for the first time in 32 years, there would be no yokozuna in the next tournament. But with the promotion of Hoshoryu, the crisis was averted. Hoshoryu came to Japan to study wrestling at Nippon Sport Science University Kahiwa High School in Chiba Prefecture 2015. There, he switched to the sumo team and debuted professionally at the New Year's Grand Sumo Tournament in 2018. After the Nagoya tournament in 2023, he was promoted to ozeki and won his first championship at the sport's second-highest rank at the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament this month.

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