Kotoshogiku ends decade-long wait for Japanese Grand Sumo winner
First home-grown Emperor’s Cup winner since 2006 may inject new life into sumoJapanese sumo wrestler Ozeki Kotoshogiku (top) throws Goeido to win the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament in Tokyo, to become the first homegrown wrestler to claim an Emperor's Cup since 2006 Photo: ReutersBy Julian Ryall, Tokyo6:52AM GMT 25 Jan 2016
Aficionados of Japan's national sport have breathed a collective sigh of relief after Ozeki Kotoshogiku triumphed in his final bout of the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament on Sunday, becoming the first Japan-born wrestler to win a "basho" for a decade.
With a record of 14 victories in the 15-bout tournament, the 397-lb wrestler was the first Japanese since January 2006 to lift the Emperor's Cup, and there are hopes that he might reignite interest in a sport that has declined in popularity in recent years.
"There are a lot of fans who still want to see a Japanese wrestler win so I think this victory could bring audiences back and encourage interest in sumo," Makoto Watanabe, a lecturer in communications and media at Hokkaido Bunkyo University, told The Telegraph.
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