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[Moti Dichne]

Ozeki Aonishiki who is kadoban for the Natsu basho, injured his left ankle during keiko at Arashio beya in Chuo Ward, Tokyo today, and cut his practice short to go to the hospital. His left little toe, which he fractured in the previous tournament, is not fully recovered, further increasing concerns about his participation in Natsu. Aonishiki, who came for degeiko, is believed to have injured his ankle in the eighth bout of his bout when he tried to defend against Wakamotoharu's attack at the edge of the ring after making a forceful throwing motion. He fell on his back, groaning, and was unable to get up for some time. He was helped to stand by other rikishi and had the injured area iced. If he will be makekoshi at the basho, he will be demoted to Sekiwake in the next tournament. His Oyakata Ajigawa  said he would decide whether his disciple could compete based on his condition after the 7th, adding, "He has been working hard to compete up to this point. We will consider it after seeing how his injury is. We won't know until we see how he is." 

Ozeki Kirishima went for degeiko to Arashio beya  in Chuo Ward, Tokyo on the 6th, and said he felt some discomfort deep in his right ear after being hit by his opponent's head. He finished with a shorter-than-usual 11 bouts, saying, "I can hear, but it feels a little strange. But I'm perfectly fine," emphasizing that it was a minor injury. He was seen facing Komusubi Wakatakakage and Fujinokawa, and his style was characterized by a steady, deliberate approach. He indicated that this day might be his last keiko session before the tournament, and said, "I was able to think carefully and give it my all. I'll be fine-tuning and preparing for the first day of the tournament."

Churanoumi celebrated his 33rd birthday on the 6th. He had a keiko session at his heya in Sumida Ward, Tokyo, in preparation for Natsu basho. He injured his left elbow during Haru basho and missed the entire Spring Jungyo, but recovered after about two weeks of treatment and rehabilitation. He also confirmed his participation in the coming basho and expressed his enthusiasm, saying, "I want to stick to my specialty, the left-hand mae-mitsu grip." It has been 10 years since he joined sumo. When asked about his age, he replied with a shy smile, "I'm a grown man now, so I don't feel happy or anything like that." At keiko, he watched the younger rikishi sparring with a "warm gaze" and gave advice on the dashinage technique to Suyama, a graduate of the University of Tokyo (and a prominent member of the Celebs list..), using gestures and demonstrations. The 33-year-old, who finished his own training with only doing shiko to recover from fatigue, said like a veteran, "The atmosphere in the stable is good, so we'll all just do our best in the tournament."

Last basho, he reached his highest rank ever, Maegashira 2, but finished with a record of 4 wins and 11 losses. The left elbow he injured in his match against Wakamotoharu (seems to be injuring everyone, WMH..) on the 8th day affected his performance, and he continued to suffer losses thereafter. He prioritized treatment while keeping himself active during the Spring Jungyo. He resumed sumo training after the banzuke was announced on April 27th. Regarding the condition of his injured elbow, Churanoumi said confidently, "It still hurts a little, but I will compete in the tournament. I won't know for sure until I try, but it's not a problem." He added, "More than winning or losing, I want to focus on my own style of sumo."