Fukuyamada

Covid in July must've been really hard on Mitakeumi, who likes to hit hard and win off a strong, explosive tachiai and quick follow-up drives aided by that momentum. He looked quite fatigued towards the end of this tourney.

I would be quite surprised if none of the younger guys become dominant and start winning all the yusho by the time Tamawashi is 40+. edit: Although I wouldn't be surprised if he's still able to hang in the top division at 40+.and perhaps Hakuhou spoiled the market for us younger fans by winning so frequently and convincingly.

Good chance for a playoff tomorrow. Thrilling conclusion likely.

Oh dear.

I just hope the covid withdrawals don't continue.

It's hard to guess what the shimpan are thinking in the heat of the moment. The November 2021 day 8 bout between them ended with a hairpull discussion as well. Quite confusing.

Hmmm. It might be a bit of a stretch to consider the US President's cup that was introduced in 2019 as a sign of pre-2020 sumo. But okay. The novelty and grandeur of the bonus trophy and show of friendly international relations during the ceremony seem somewhat reasonable. There was a “President of the Republic of France Cup” at some point too.

Congrats to Terunofuji. 12-3Y with no playoff required, despite the lingering health problems and painful early losses. It doesn't feel normal for 12-3 to be enough. He kept going and prevailed. The likes of Wakatakakage, Hoshoryu, Kiribayama, Kotoshoho and Kotonowaka are almost certainly improving. I'm not convinced that Shodai lacks the fighting spirit or has dramatically fallen off. It seems like quite of few of his opponents have become supremely adept at taking advantage of his upright initial charge (that you guys have been been pointing out for years now) without falling into his traps or becoming engaged in a belt battle. He'll have to fend off another MK again. Whether or not it'll happen, we'll have to wait and see. He earned the rank after all. If he wins 2 straight Yusho, he probably deserves the Yokozuna promotion. But if he does lose the rank, he'll certainly be able to stick around in the top division for several years.

That's a good answer. May 2018 day 12. I found the bout I was thinking of: November 2015 day 14

It has to be Terunofuji. If someone was locked in tight against Hakuho with his favoured grip, and beat him, then Terunofuji is the answer.

Shodai hasn't been matched up with Terunofuji since September 2021.

Shodai has excellent balance. It may have looked ugly, but there was a pull down in there, and he used his forward momentum to delay his own fall. Credit where credit is due. He won that one.

Ura just seems to have a very endearing and respectful demeanor. The injury, comeback, re-injury and return to top division level is remarkable. Plenty of fighting spirit too. All that makes it easier to empathize with or sort-of forgive the non-contact approach, I think. Shodai is just blown away at the tachi-ai, and that just happens far too often.

I think it's likely that he'll make it, even if it's still uncertain. How healthy is Mitakeumi and does he have any long term injury concerns? He could hold the ozeki rank for a few years, on his all-round sumo repertoire and consistency in producing winning scores.

There's an eleven minute video on youtube, that might you might find entertaining: "Mitakeumi vs Tamawashi I Mitakeumi's Dominance | Head to Head All Bouts I Sumo Highlights" It really seems like Tamawashi has to perform close to perfect to win against him. I really don't know either. Mitakeumi starts in a compact position, close to the middle and seems to rise up at an angle that often leads to an advantageous or equal outcome at the initial charge. Mitakeumi excels with the double hand inside grip if that's available. It looks like he can push back just as hard. Then, whenever he's overpowered and driven back, he just seems to find the right counter move to win the bout. Quite bewildering. How?