Takayasu will be kyujo from the Aki (Autumn) tournament which starts this weekend.
Takayasu officially kyujo for aki (as expected):https://t.co/dtAkV1CrLV
— ヘルット (@SumoFollower) September 5, 2019
As Herouth stated, this is expected given the condition of his arm. Tamawashi’s desperate kotenage immobilized and twisted the elbow last tournament. Takayasu won that bout with an oshitaoshi to pick up a vital seventh win. The weakened bruiser lost to Shodai the next day but picked up the eighth two days later against Meisei and promptly went kyujo.
His kyujo was the last shoe to drop as none of the ozeki finished the tournament. Takakeisho didn’t start, newly re-promoted Tochinoshin dropped out after starting with five straight losses, and Goeido followed shortly after.
Since Takayasu was able to finish with a kachi-koshi record, his absense from the upcoming basho will mean he will be kadoban for November. The pressure is on kadoban Goeido and Tochinoshin to pick up eight…but Sekiwake Takakesho needs ten for re-promotion.
Lets see – Tagonoura, check. Left upper body injury, check. Did not get any kind of surgical intervention, choosing to “let it heal naturally”, check.
Do we really need to see this happen again?
At least he’s kyujo to start the tournament rather than 5 bouts in.
Still, it’s been to long since the injury to fix it proper and now any hopes he had of attaining Yokozuna (not that he could imo) are gone. These rikishi need to look further ahead than the next basho with injuries like these and ask themselves if it’s worth it to gamble their career or just take the hit and drop and fight their way back and have a shot at a successful career (not that Takayasu hasn’t been successful).
Was the injury something that should have had a surgical internvention? I have no medical background or knowledge, so I have no clue; I’m just wondering. Does this mean that his career is done for (at least with a promotion as an end goal), as is suggested elswhere in the comments?
It was a tear to the UCL, though it was not specified whether it was complete or partial. There is a surgical procedure for that (Tommy John surgery), and the fact that he was in a cast for a while and now uses a supporter is actually compatible with him having undergone it.
If Takayaso did have a Tommy John, I would think that he would be kyujo for a good long while.
It was a year for a pitcher…maybe 6 weeks for sekitori.
In sumo-speak, that’s, like, four months. Right?
Rub some dirt on it, big guy.
This may be inappropriate, but I am sick and tired of Tamawashi. Yeah, yeah, I know a kotenage is legal, but he has a pattern of seriously hurting his fellow rikishi with that damn move. Does he feel bad even? Am I missing something culturally? If so, why do some clearly make an effort to stop the person they just beat go over the edge of the dohyo? Takayasu was doing great until that kotenage, and I fear it might be career ending,
It’s a dangerous sport. (ex-Redskins fan who has seen Theisman, Stephen Davis, Clinton Portis and now Alex Smith hobbled/ended by injury.) Aside from LT (I’m a Tarheel) I’m not sure if anyone paid attention to who injured them.
I know, I get that. But Tamawashi has a pattern, and he knows it. That seems to me to make it different.
From the bits I’ve read/seen, he clearly feels bad when his opponents get injured, and he shelved what is for him a commonly used and effective kimarite for a year after Nagoya 2018. I’ve also seen commentators say that the problem with kotenage isn’t the rikishi performing it, it’s the opponent who put his arm in a dangerous position by not inserting it deep enough when going for a grip. Among the many causes of sumo injuries, it’s not a major contributor (albeit a highly visible one), and as long as it’s legal (and not even frowned upon) and not intentionally used to injure, I’m not inclined to blame Tamawashi.
It makes me feel better than he was upset. Thanks for the information. But still, you can’t blame the one who gets hurt. How many use it as a regular technique?
Since 2013, the biggest user in Makuuchi is … wait for it … Ikioi, who’s won by kotenage a whopping 31 times! Okinoumi is a distant second with 19, then Tamawashi with 17, Nishikigi with 15, Hakuho with 13, and Arawashi with 11. At 10 apiece are Gagamaru, Ichinojo, Kisenosato and Terunofuji. So it seems like quite a few rikishi with disparate styles and ranks use the technique with some regularity. Here’s the sumodb query: http://sumodb.sumogames.de/Query_bout.aspx?show_form=0&group_by=rikishi1&year=2013-2019&m=on&kimarite=24&samed1=on&onlyw1=on
Thanks, interesting. Have the others inflicted a similar level of injuries?
🤷🏼♂️That’s not straightforward to find out.
And not all kotenage are the same. One of the yamas won with it just yesterday.
With Takayasu out there is only one man standing who could end the year with 6 kk’s in makuuchi… Abi, it’s all on you.