National News

22-time champion Takanohana retires from sumo after injury

Yokozuna Takanohana brought an illustrious but injury-plagued sumo career to an end Jan. 20 after his comeback bid ended in failure at theNew Year Grand Sumo Tournament.

Takanohana, still recovering from a right knee injury he sustained in May 2001, fell to fourth-rank maegashira Aminishiki on the eighth day of the 15-day tournament at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo on Jan. 19.

The decisive defeat came in the 30-year-old grand champion's fourth bout after his return to the tournament from a shoulder injury he suffered in a second-day match against top-ranked maegashira Miyabiyama.

Amid talk of his imminent retirement, Takanohana managed two straight wins in his comeback, although it was in a largely unconvincing fashion.

However, he failed to add to the wins as he lost to rank-and-filers Dejima and Aminishiki in lopsided bouts over the next two days.

His stablemaster and father Futagoyama said he is more relieved than sad to see his son leave the dohyo.

"He can no longer wrestle the way he did in the past. It cannot be reversed. His knee doesn't move as he wants it to and his shoulder has been painful, too," Futagoyama said.

The Japan Sumo Association (JSA) decided to award him a special bonus of ¥130 million and the name of sumo elder Takanohana as a token of its recognition of his accomplishments.

The JSA allows only retired grand champions with outstanding careers to maintain their names as sumo elders, and these names are not inheritable. Takanohana is only the third such wrestler, following in the footsteps of Taiho and Kitanoumi.

JSA chairman Kitanoumi said, "As an active wrestler, he made a tremendous contribution to sumo with 22 tournament victories. It's a significant milestone. I hope he will help develop young talent as a sumo elder."

Shukan ST: Jan. 31, 2003

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