No-one could have predicted the victory of sumo wrestler Tokushoryu – the lowest ranked competitor at the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament in Tokyo.
But win he did and burst into tears after beating his opponent in a rare public display of emotion.
He ended the 15-day contest on Sunday with 14 wins and one defeat.
He had previously spent 12 of sumo’s previous 13 grand tournaments in the second-tier juryo division, Kyodo new agency reports.
The wrestler – who weighs 188kg (414lb) and is 1.81m (5ft93) tall – beat his opponent Takakeisho, a champion wrestler, out of the dohyo ring at Tokyo’s Ryogoku Kokugikan stadium.
After his victory, some spectators described how he was crying one minute, laughing the next.
In a post-win interview, the 33-year-old said: “I might have cried too much, but at that moment I felt relieved from all the pressure,” Kyodo quotes him as saying.
“Deep down I’m feeling like: ‘Is it ok for me to win the championship?’ I was the lowest-ranking fighter, so I had nothing to fear. I just had to give it everything I had.”
After seizing the tournament’s lead on Saturday, he said he had recited the sumo mantra to himself: “I’m not focused on the championship.”
He also said the death of his coach – which he learnt of halfway through the tournament – was another thing that spurred him on to victory.
He then decided he should win the tournament “for him”, he said.
“Since the start [of the tournament], I’d been thinking if I give it all I have, that will be plenty,” he said.
“If I do my best on the opening charge, I can live with the results that follow. I’d done it my way all along, and the final day was the same.”
You may also be interested in:
Media playback is unsupported on your device
BBC news
The post Tokushoryu win: Underdog sumo wrestler Celebrates Unexpected Win with tears appeared first on The Big Mirror.
