Takerufuji, the new sumo phenomenon: the 24-year-old, 143-kilo young man who achieved the fastest promotion in history

Takerufujia young 24-year-old wrestler, who entered the history of sumo after winning an important tournament on Sunday just a year and a half after he began dedicating himself to this Japanese discipline, in the fastest rise of the sport, breaking a record of over 110 years.

This 1.84 m and 143 kg giant won the Emperor’s Cup at the end of the spring tournament held in Osaka, defeating in the final Gonoyamaanother rising sumo star.

Takerufuji’s victory is even more surprising for how it happened, as after injuring his ankle the day before, the fighter had to return to the locker room in a wheelchair and undergo medical examinations in hospital.

“At that moment I abandoned all hope of winning the tournament“, commented the wrestler, who trains together with the great ‘yokozuna’ champion (highest rank obtained by sumo wrestlers), at a press conference on Monday. Terunofujiabsent from the tournament due to injury.

But “the yokozuna came and said to me: ‘You can do it. It’s not the record that counts, but the memory. It’s okay if you lose, but you won’t have a chance like that again,” Takerufuji explained.

Since his first steps in September 2022 on a ‘dohyo’, the clay ring where the fighting takes place, Mikiya Ishioka (the fighter’s real name) swept through the lower five divisions at breakneck speed, with only 10 defeats in 79 fights.

His title in just 10 tournaments did it the fastest fighter to lift a cup and the first to do so as a rookie in the top category since 1914.

The triumph of the young man from Aomori (north of Japan) was so fast that according to the country’s press He is the first fighter to win a major tournament without even having hair long enough to do an “oicho”.the typical hairstyle of sumo practitioners.

This news is welcome in the world of sumo, which is regularly rocked by scandals. The exyokozuna Hakuho He was sanctioned last month for acts of violence committed by one of his disciples, who was also banned from the sport.

In July last year, another former sumotori reported having been mistreated for eight years.