A day after coming up short at the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament, Georgian wrestler Tochinoshin said Monday that he is bracing for an even tougher road ahead after he is promoted to ozeki, sumo's second-highest rank.
"I think it's going to be really tough. I want to devote myself to training and fight as a powerful sumo wrestler," Tochinoshin told a news conference at his Kasugano stable in Tokyo.
Tochinoshin is virtually guaranteed an ozeki promotion after going 13-2 at the Summer tournament at Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan, where he also beat record-title holder Hakuho for the first time in 26 career matchups.