Ozeki Takakeisho decided Friday not to compete in the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament after pain in both knees prevented him from sparring ahead of the 15-day meet that opens Sunday.
The 26-year-old Tokiwayama stable wrestler presented to the Japan Sumo Association a diagnosis of cartilage damage in both his knees requiring three weeks of rest and treatment, and was excluded from the match pairings for the first two days of the tourney at Dolphins Arena.
It will be the 10th time the ozeki has missed all or part of a grand tournament following his Day 7 withdrawal in March. He now faces the possibility of needing eight wins in September to stave off a demotion to sekiwake, sumo's third-highest rank.
It will also be the seventh time in Takakeisho's career that he wrestles as a relegation-threatened kadoban ozeki.