![]() The sekiwake fiercely went for his opponent from the onset, but the higher-ranked wrestler found a nice inside position, from where he drove his opponent over the bales. All eyes were on Wakatakakage, who faced off against ozeki Shodai. Takayasu fought first, but suffered his third defeat. The win put them into a two-way race for the cup, with four days to go.īoth wrestlers suffered another loss, meaning their records were still equal on the final day. In the end, Wakatakakage overwhelmed Takayasu with a speedy and aggressive attack. He too was performing well, with just one loss. Takayasu stayed ahead of the pack until Day 11, when he faced off against Wakatakakage, who was debuting at the third-highest rank of sekiwake. The maegashira once had the second-highest rank of ozeki and, by Day 5, was in the blazing form of old – unbeaten and in sole possession of the lead. Rank-and-file wrestler Takayasu capitalized on the yokozuna's absence. Ex-ozeki and new sekiwake fight for the title The yokozuna withdrew from the competition the next day. Let's hope he comes back strong in summer. ![]() The yokozuna's stable master said his prize fighter was nowhere near top form after missing training for 10 straight days. Terunofuji's infection severely hampered his preparations. The 30-year-old was looking to redeem himself after underperforming in the January tournament, but pulled out on Day 6 in Osaka, citing injuries to his right heel and left knee. Terunofuji, currently sumo's only yokozuna, was the favorite for the title despite being struck with the coronavirus in early February. Fans in Osaka were allowed into the arena for the first time in three years. Those who grabbed a ticket were surely thrilled to be back in the stands. That meant a maximum of about 5,600 fans could watch the action each day. The nationwide drop in cases prompted the association to raise the spectator cap to 75 percent of arena capacity, up from 50 percent. Thankfully, the situation improved quickly.Īnd there was an added bonus. In early February, the sumo association revealed that 252 members were infected with the coronavirus. There had been serious doubts about whether the basho could even go ahead in the city. What's more, sumo fans were allowed into Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium for the first time in three years. The spring tournament was returning to Osaka after taking place in Tokyo last year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
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