Herouth called this. Hakuho is kyujo, according to the NHK. I must be blind because even after she wrote this, I went back and rewatched it and didn’t think anything was that bad. He clearly was not prime Hakuho but who would expect “prime” Hakuho at this point in his career, with 6 months off AND having only just recovered from Covid? (Yes, the only apparent symptom was the loss of taste but we’re still early understanding the longterm effects.) Onosho will benefit from the walkover win.
This leads me to seriously doubt that we will see either Yokozuna complete a full fortnight of action, whether we’re talking about May, July, September, November. All of these young-guns are eager for their shot and does anyone seriously think either of these men will be happy with a 10-5 record, out of contention during the final weekend?
Hakuho's tachiai was a mistake. Doing that feint harite allowed Takarafuji to slip in his left easily. Then Hakuho had a problem to solve. And that knee, I'm sure, didn't like the time it took to solve it.
— ヘルット (BASHO SPOILERS!) (@SumoFollower) March 15, 2021
So much for my looking forward to Hakuho’s week 2 matches. Grim
It’s a real gut-shot. I was reading your post right before I saw the announcement and I started to wonder if he’d escape with 10 wins…and then I started wondering if 9, 10, 11 win tournaments would be acceptable for him.
Glad we had a few last Hakuho dohyo-iri
I really wanted to See Kaiju Vs the Goat… Kakruyu and Hakuho not looking like they’ll Last.. I think Kakruyu wants just 1 more shot because of how he exited out of the Last Basho he was in where if I recall correctly, he knocked himself down. Hakuho I believe is waiting for the the Summer Olympics and to do his Dohyo -ri. Other then that I feel both will retire with those 2 goals accomplished.
Hakuho was once asked what keeps him going having accomplished so much. He said he always has to set a goal. I thought he’d have called it quits after the Olympics had they been held last year. I thought maybe he set a target for 50 basho wins. At this stage, that’s a stretch. He will have knee surgery my wife informs me as I write and in recovery and rehab for two months. Thus he’ll be out for May as well. The earliest we might see him back is July, if at all I am afraid.
That may be the last time we see him on the dohyo.
I fear so. I can’t see him hobbling back.
Come onnnnnn… argh. Hopefully it’s not COVID related at all, I know he didn’t have had symptoms but you never know with this virus.
But come onnnnn, dude beats the on fire past basho winner and then a solid win over a solid rikish. True not what we expect from Hakuho but he was 2-0 against two tough guys. Only he knows what ails him, I’m sad
Seems like it’s the knee but he was definitely not coming back fresh.
This is getting a bit silly. Is he really holding out on a hope that the Olympics will be in July? What if they aren’t? Isn’t July his last tournament no matter what, if he wants to directly inherit his stable upon Miyagino’s retirement in August 2022, given the one year wait?
The waiting period only applies to stables founded anew.
I wonder what Hakuho’s calculation is. Try again next tournament? Preserve whatever is left of your knees for the remainder of your life? Take two days off and win the tournament with a score of 13-0-2 (That’s a joke). He was fighting well in the first two days despite his ailments. He was in total control against Takarafuji. Going 10-5 or even better seemed quite possible. Come on, even an unimpressive 9-6 should appease the YDC given the clear lack of Yokozuna contenders.
I am gutted. Seriously, it was so good to have him back, even at less than 100 percent. All the best to him. sigh
This was really the last chance for him to come back, win the yusho and confirm his position as yokozuna. I admire him for trying, but it was a a gamble that didn’t come off. There’s a level of physical fragility there that just isn’t compatible with being a yokozuna.
Any aging athlete who takes off half a year then breaks down as soon as he comes back, is probably done. Everyone seems to agree that Kakuryu will get one shot the next time he enters the dohyo. Does Hakuho get another shot, or was this it?
I was wondering about the after bout squat, then stand, then squat again before accepting the envelopes. I was wondering if he was winded or dizzy after the exertion of a long bout. But now it sounds like knee, correct?
Going to be a stretch to make it to the 2021 Olympics – if there is a 2021 Olympics.
That’s actually the only strange thing I noticed. I thought he was simply distracted (it happens), but he wasn’t enthusiast after the bout even on Sunday. So I noticed he didn’t have a great fighting spirit.