Readers of the site know I have been a big fan of Takayasu for years, and I even hope that one day he can still win his first yusho. During the Nagoya basho, Takayasu injured his elbow in a day 8 match against Tamawashi, after Tamawashi’s poorly executed throw attempt ended with the Ozeki’s left arm injured at the elbow. Following that match, Takayasu struggled to finish to tournament with 8 wins. In the days following the basho, it was clear the injury was significant, and Takayasu skipped all extra activities to focus on recovery. Nobody was surprised he was kyujo from the entirety of Aki, and absent activities following that.
Since the publication of the Kyushu banzuke, Takayasu has tried to return to training, with the intention of entering the basho and securing at least 8 wins. He enters the tournament as a kadoban Ozeki, and must secure kachi-koshi to avoid a demotion to Sekiwake, where we find Tochinoshin this November.
Takayasu’s physical state, with just a few days to go prior to the first day of the basho, is not good. In training bouts he has shown little power on his left side, and a real tendency to protect his left arm. Clearly the damage to his elbow is still bothering him, and is impacting his sumo. His condition is poor enough that he struggled to defeat Onosho, Tomokaze and Ryuden. This is not a rikishi in condition for Ozeki sumo.
Sadly, this may be a case of yet another Tagonoura kanban-rikishi who sustains a serious but treatable injury opting to let it “heal naturally” and in doing so, attenuating their sumo career.
You make it sound like Takayasu should have a surgery on his relatively mildly twisted elbow with that last sentence. No thanks.
Time will tell.
oh please tell me the name of your medical diagnostic applience rhat work from video files I also would like to buy one!
Wow. A little huge there.
my answer went to bompp1 :-)
His medical certificate for his kyujo said “a ligament tear”. He was hanging around with his arm splinted. IMO, that indicates that he actually underwent surgery, but unfortunately, didn’t listen to his doctors orders about period of rehabilitation.
I don’t think he clears Kadobon. In fact I think he further injured himself trying.
He further injured himself by [insert non-complimentary adverb here] participating in an exhibition tournament after Aki basho. Of course, he is not doing himself any favors by practicing sumo right now.
I’m not going to speculate what the appropriate medical approach to his injury is, but entering the tournament in his current shape seems outright delusional.
He is a 29 year-old kadoban Ōzeki, he is probably gambling with heath and career.
I think he will be absent. Too much risk of serious damage.
Glad to be able to practice my career without being subjected to a Tamawashi elbow-lock throw.
Didn’t he also injure Chiyonokuni with one of those?
Yes he did. What’s sad is if you watch the match with Takayasu, Tamawashi knows as soon as it happens what he did, and the emotion on his face is quite telling. Sad stuff all around.