After a scandal surrounding the national sport ironically drew more attention to the Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament, tournament champion Hakuho said Monday he was pleased to provide some positive headlines.
Speaking to reporters at the traditional morning-after news conference, Hakuho, who won an unprecedented 40th title in the Nov. 12-26 tournament at Fukuoka Kokusai Center, said ending the year on a winning note means a lot to him.
"It makes me more emotional because I clinched the championship on the 14th day," said Hakuho, the only yokozuna who competed through the sixth and final sumo tournament of the calendar year.