Within an hour of the Japan Sumo Association’s Monday decision to sit Hakuho and all of Miyagino stable for the autumn tournament, the sport’s governing body also posted images on its Twitter account of two young men who may one day replace that yokozuna at the top of the rankings.
Yersin Baltagulov and Purevsuren Delgerbayar passed the JSA’s new recruit entrance examination this week and began their professional lives with a history of success in Japanese collegiate sumo behind them.
Delgerbayar, who is joining Naruto stable (run by former Bulgarian ozeki Kotooshu) was student yokozuna in 2020, and has a track record of wins over some of the toughest fighters in the amateur game.