Yokozuna Harumafuji, who won his ninth career title at the just-ended Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament, let his guard down to media after a hard-fought playoff bout against ozeki Goeido, allowing his dramatic come-from-behind victory to finally sink in.
"How delicious the sake tastes after you win," said Harumafuji in the traditional morning-after press conference on Monday.
"At first I struggled to find the balance between my heart, technique and physique, and I was afraid of how it would turn out. But I'm really glad I was able to end on a good note. I was very focused and every day all I thought about was sumo," he said.