With losses by both Okinoumi and Hokutofuji during day 14, Yokozuna Hakuho won his 40th Grand Sumo championship. He won his first yusho in 2006 at the Natsu basho in Tokyo and has been on a massive winning streak ever since. No rikishi in history has been this dominant in sumo, and few professional athletes have ever been this dominant in any sport.
Tachiai congratulates Hakuho on his 40th yusho, and look forward to his continued reign as “The Boss”.
Unbelievable. A sports star who deserves to be in the bracket with Navratilova, Gretzky, Riner, Karelin. Current issues aside I think Harumafuji is an excellent yokozuna, one of the best “wrestlers” the sport has seen, but Hakuho is a super-yokozuna.
In the most extreme plausible scenario – that he is the only yokozuna standing in January, then my half-baked possible banzuke just has him so far ahead of the field. Here goes, feel free to smash it to bits.
Y Hakuho
O Goeido Takayasu
S Mitakeumi Onosho
K Tamawashi Takakeisho Yoshikaze
M1 Terunofuji Hokutofuji
M2 Ichinojo Arawashi
this feels like a real generation shift afoot. Who can rise up or take control? I hope Takayasu but I’m not sure he’s ruthless enough.
M1 looks very optimistic (in a sense) for Terunofuji. I would have expected him to drop a lot further down the banzuke and that would be no bad thing: much better that he stays away from the top guys until he recovers. Even better, he could miss one or two tournaments to recuperate. Imagine a healthy Terunofuji in juryo- the phrase “reign of terror” springs to mind.
I want this to happen. Same with Ura in sandanme.
I hope Terunofuji goes back to ozeki.He has great potential!
I hope he goes back to the physiotherapist before any of that can truly happen.
Hakuho is on another level completely, maybe there should be a new “Once in a Hundred Years” category called “Grand Yokozuna” or something like that for him.
I hate to say it, but at least at this point, he makes the other current Yokozunas look like his students.