If you want to watch the GOAT, plan to do it soon. In a revealing interview, Hakuho announced his intention to retire this year.
取材中に「今年引退」発言… #白鵬 語る“日本人横綱 "
— inhashi (@inhashi_) January 6, 2020
横綱, 家族との時間を楽しんでください☺️
01.06 [とくダネ] pic.twitter.com/ZfPKJLHmdE
He didn’t get more specific about when he would retire but there had been a lot of speculation that his ultimate goal was to be active for this year’s Olympics, where he will be a torch-bearer. Herouth found the tweet below, I stepped back to the original video before the workout video. Herouth’s thread below.
Hakuho gives us a rare peek into his weight training routine. He mentions he dyes his supporters to make them soon-to-be, per regulation. Dyes with… black tea.
— ヘルット (@SumoFollower) January 6, 2020
Then he blurts out: "I might as well let you see everything. It's going to end this year. I'll retire this year."
‼️ https://t.co/6fZJ5tMCBS
The first video from the original tweet gave some more inside into his motivations, namely to spend more time with his family and to raise a new crop of wrestlers. This past New Year, for example, he spent in Australia with his family…on his new passport as a Japanese national. So for those Tachiai readers in Oz (esp. Sydney) you may have seen him around town.
I’m glad you mentioned that he came to Sydney. I’ve had to keep it a secret for about 3 or 4 months. I unfortunately couldn’t meet up with him as I was in Canberra with the family (and the smoke) looking after my sister’s massive house. It was sad to miss out on the wonderful opportunity to take him around my home town but I’ll get to drink and have chanko with him again in a few weeks after the Hakuho cup.
I got asked to help organise golf and places for him to drink after midnight. There were about 16 in the entourage including two other sumotori but they made up their minds too late for the $700 per head booking I arranged at Yuki’s at the Quay under the Sydney Harbour Bridge. I taste their menus and help with the marketing. The $700 tickets went well before the $300 outside balcony tickets were you still had to buy your own food and alcohol.
I’ll let you know more when I catch up with the Mongolian ex sekitori who now lives here.
By the way I think the retirement is really on the cards because someone close to him inadvertently put their foot in it when I asked about it. But on the other hand… One thing I’ve learned about Mongolian men over the years is that you can rely on them to be unreliable.