Right Leg Injured In Bout With Hokutofuji
*** UPDATED
It was evident that as Hokutofuji mounted a brilliant counter-attack, Kakuryu twisted his right knee during their match, and was clearly limping as he left the dohyo. It seems that his trainers have decided that it was not a problem that was going to be manageable for day 4, and he has withdrawn from the basho.
Word from the official NSK twitter feed, Kakuryu is suffering “right foot lateral ligament injury” (ankle)
This gives Komusubi Yoshikaze a default win, taking him to a 4-0 start to this tournament.
The withdraw is a huge shame, as Yokozuna Kakuryu seemed to have a good start to this tournament. It once again raises questions on his long term viability, as his legs and back seem to be too fragile to sustain a full tournament schedule.
Tachiai wishes him a speedy recovery.
Endo is next man up for the joi meat grinder…
Yep, and when Kisenosato bows out – Ura gets added to the dog pile.
That’s three injury withdrawals in the last four tournaments for Kakuryu. Not looking good. The spirit is still trong, but after 16 years of pounding his body may have had enough.
This is really disappointing. He was so dominant on day 1 and 2, and it looked like his injury woes were finally in the past. Such a shame.
Completely agree – his approach to sumo is almost purely defensive / reaction, it’s really a very interesting counterpoint to someone like Harumafuji who is so massively weighted to offense.
Big Kakuryu fan here. Idk what to feel. Kakuryu may be forced to retire soon.
Izutsu’s statement. If he doesn’t win the next time he steps on the dohyo, he needs to retire as a man. Still a fan of Kak. It’s just really sad.