With 29 Emperor's Cup wins to date, yokozuna Hakuho is already the third most successful grand champion in the almost 260 years of sumo's recorded history. Only Taiho, who was primarily active through the 1960s with 32 wins, and Chiyonofuji, active from the 1970s to the early '90s with 31 wins, stand between the sport's best ever non-Japanese rikishi and the title of "best ever." Or so people think.
Hakuho's greatest hurdle in eventually moving past Taiho — a man he so long idolized — could well be his own reluctance to do so.
A win at the basho in Nagoya, which kicked off Sunday in a city where he has already claimed four Emperor's Cups and a host of jun-yusho, would take him to 30 career yusho, two shy of Taiho and one short of Chiyonofuji.
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