Yokozuna Harumafuji insists the prospect of being forced to retire never once crossed his mind ahead of last month's dominating victory at the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament, but the Mongolian refuses to speculate on how much more success he can achieve before he calls it a day.
Harumafuji went into the Jan. 13-27 basho with his career effectively on the line, having been warned by the Yokozuna Deliberation Council that a repeat of his debut at sumo's highest rank would be unacceptable. The 28-year-old ended the Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament in November with an unseemly 9-6 record, prompting the powers-that-be to question whether his September promotion had come too soon and pondering forced retirement as a solution.
At Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan last month, however, Harumafuji offered his riposte. The 185-cm, 133-kg wrestler laid waste to the opposition on his way to a fifth career title, earning redemption in the most emphatic way possible with a perfect 15-0 mark.