Returning ozeki Terunofuji on Monday set his sights on promotion to sumo's highest rank of yokozuna as he vowed to take courage from the recent success of Japanese athletes in other sports.
The 29-year-old Mongolian won the Spring Grand Sumo Tournament in March to seal his second promotion to the second-highest rank of ozeki, a position he last held in September 2017 before falling down the sport's hierarchy.
"There's only one thing I have yet to experience. I want to have a go (at promotion to yokozuna) at least once, and hope to end my career in a way that makes me feel I've given all I could," Terunofuji said during a telephone interview.