In last week’s column, I wondered whether the tournament-leading Ichiyamamoto could keep his hot streak going and become the 12th first-time champion to be crowned since January 2020.
With five straight losses from day 11, the answer to that question was conclusively in the negative, but sumo did get a first-time winner in the form of Kotoshoho — a veteran whose triumph was perhaps even more surprising than Ichiyamamoto’s would have been.
The 25-year-old had come into the Nagoya meet on the back of four losing records in five tournaments, with his sole kachikoshi an 8-7 finish eked out on the final day of the March basho.
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