More from the Aonishiki press conference

[Moti Dichne]

 Having achieved his return to the rank of Ozeki and winning the yusho in just one tournament, he expressed his feelings, saying, "I am very happy that I was able to finish the final day properly and hold a press conference like this. I have a great sense of accomplishment." Rather than the number of 10 wins needed to return to Ozeki, what was in front of him was anxiety about injury. "Rather than really aiming for 10 wins, I was just trying to overcome my anxiety day by day. I feel like I wasn't really fixated on the numbers." When he injured his left leg during the tournament, he said, "It was a shock. There was almost no time to heal." When he looked at his leg, he thought, "This might be a bit tough." Even so, he "never considered" taking a break. He said that even when he talked to his Oyakata, there was no talk of taking a break. "I believe in myself, I listen carefully to what my Oyakata says, and I never give up, and thanks to that, I feel like I am where I am today," he reflected. He didn't change his sumo style either. Considering the state of his injury, he could have chosen to shift at the tachiai. "Honestly, I had a lot of thoughts, but I felt that it wasn't like me." He might have won, but he thought that would "not lead to the next step." "My main theme was to do my best with what I could do so that I would have no regrets." Whether he won or lost, he stuck to his own style of going straight for the win so that it would lead to the next step. He lost in the main match and went to a playoff, but he didn't waver there. "I felt that I had the advantage if it came down to a playoff." His two previous yushos were also won by winning playoffs. Experience gave him confidence in his final match. He was demoted to Sekiwake, and he battled injury. He transformed the hardships he had never experienced before into the Emperor's Cup in the end. "My ranking never dropped, so I'm really glad I had that experience. I feel like I've become a little stronger mentally. It was tough, but I think it was a valuable opportunity."