Those 7 dudes without wins is crazy and it would be disappointing to see Hoshoryu pull out again. No Yokozuna would have been better than one that can't finish a tournament.
It's such a bummer to see him struggle like this when it feels like he would have carried the weight of being a Yokozuna so much better if he was promoted just a few years later.
It feels odd to be talking about how much potential a rikishi had when there's literally nowhere higher for him to go.
Probably Wakamotoharu, I think he was on the cusp of promotion if I remember correctly. I believe heard some people who thought he should have been promoted with his brother. But he's also a rough schedule Onosato, Hoshoryu, Daieisho, and Kotozakura. That's a tough lineup for anybody.
Yeah, he missed out on a komusubi promotion despite Wakatakakage getting it. They both had 9-6 records in March. He's had a tough schedule, for sure, I expect him to pick up a lot of wins down the back stretch. Might be hard to rescue a kachi koshi at this point, though.
Seems crazy for kotozakura to go from near Yokozuna to this. Only been following sumo for a year and a half but would it not make sense to have taken this one off and healing up instead of getting more wear and tear on the way to a losing record and being against the wall anyway.
That's a good question. I imagine it's a tough decision for them. Definitely seems like a never take a break culture in Sumo and then the risks of only having one tournament to do well or be demoted. Also the risk of possibly getting injured in training for the next tournament anyway. I'm not sure what I would choose. Fighting injured also seems like a real bad idea but we see them do it all the time.
The tabloid reporting in Japan suggests that Kotozakura is under extreme pressure to always compete. His grandfather was yokozuna, his father was ozeki (and is his current stablemaster). His father, it seems, is very rough with him and has demanded that he fight through injuries in the past. If that's all true it's rather sad.
Those 7 dudes without wins is crazy and it would be disappointing to see Hoshoryu pull out again. No Yokozuna would have been better than one that can't finish a tournament.
It's such a bummer to see him struggle like this when it feels like he would have carried the weight of being a Yokozuna so much better if he was promoted just a few years later.
It feels odd to be talking about how much potential a rikishi had when there's literally nowhere higher for him to go.
Feels like it could be damaging to his career if can't get these full tournaments in and could lead to early retirement.
Who are you most surprised about when it comes to the no wins squad?
Probably Wakamotoharu, I think he was on the cusp of promotion if I remember correctly. I believe heard some people who thought he should have been promoted with his brother. But he's also a rough schedule Onosato, Hoshoryu, Daieisho, and Kotozakura. That's a tough lineup for anybody.
Yeah, he missed out on a komusubi promotion despite Wakatakakage getting it. They both had 9-6 records in March. He's had a tough schedule, for sure, I expect him to pick up a lot of wins down the back stretch. Might be hard to rescue a kachi koshi at this point, though.
Seems crazy for kotozakura to go from near Yokozuna to this. Only been following sumo for a year and a half but would it not make sense to have taken this one off and healing up instead of getting more wear and tear on the way to a losing record and being against the wall anyway.
That's a good question. I imagine it's a tough decision for them. Definitely seems like a never take a break culture in Sumo and then the risks of only having one tournament to do well or be demoted. Also the risk of possibly getting injured in training for the next tournament anyway. I'm not sure what I would choose. Fighting injured also seems like a real bad idea but we see them do it all the time.
The tabloid reporting in Japan suggests that Kotozakura is under extreme pressure to always compete. His grandfather was yokozuna, his father was ozeki (and is his current stablemaster). His father, it seems, is very rough with him and has demanded that he fight through injuries in the past. If that's all true it's rather sad.
Agreed. As a father I can say you have to pay attention to when you're pushing is detrimental rather than helpful.
Same. His father thinks he's protecting a 'family legacy', but if part of that legacy is your kids being miserable... then it's not worth protecting.