Training news from the Jungyo - the Yokozunae

[Moti Dichne]

Yokozuna Houshouryuu, who withdrew from Nagoya due to an injury to his left big toe, joined the jungyo today. He practiced in the morning, lending his chest to Kusano and others. He wore a tabi sock on his left foot, including during his bout against Oonosato. "My foot is much better now. I hope it gets better day by day." he said. He later revealed that he wore a cast on the injured area, which was diagnosed as a dislocated fracture, for the first five days after his kyujo. "I felt something strange even before the basho. I didn't know the bone was cracked." Regarding his current situation, having missed two of the three basho since his promotion, he said, "I was so determined to win that I got injured. I want to get back to my usual self." He also said he felt the pressure of being at the highest rank. "I was thinking about it without even realizing it. It's my own problem." He will continue to participate in the jungyo until the final day on the 31st, and will attempt to make a comeback in Aki. His Oyakata Tatsunami who visited the venue on the 7th as the Oyakata in charge, said, "The next basho he enters will be important.."

Yokozuna Oonosato worked up a sweat at the jungyo today in Koga City, Ibaraki Prefecture doing the fundamentals and other exercises, and said  he intends to begin doing sumo in the near future. "My basho fatigue is gone.. I'd like to start moving around little by little," he said. As a new Yokozuna, he finished with a passing record of 11-4 in Nagoya, but gave up 4 kinboshi, missing out on a third consecutive yusho His first jungyo as a Yokozuna has just begun, and on this day he agreed to requests for photos and autographs from the large crowd at the venue. "I'm aware of my responsibilities and will do my best to fulfill them," he said.