In years to come, the 2014 Aki Basho will most likely be remembered as the tournament in which makunouchi’s Mongolian new boy Ichinojo made arguably the biggest splash in a top flight debut in living memory.
On his way to an incredible 13-2 finish – second only to eventual champion Hakuho come Day 15 – the son of a nomadic couple downed two ozeki (Kisenosato and Goeido) and one yokozuna (Kakuryu). This feat earned him on a well deserved Fighting Spirit prize to go along with an equally impressive Outstanding Performance trophy.
Few doubt they will be his last.