Veteran Takayasu started the March tournament on a red-hot streak and, heading into the final act, seemed set to end almost a decade of frustration by finally lifting the Emperor’s Cup.
The komusubi collapsed down the straight however, going 1-4 over the final five days allowing Terunofuji (another former ozeki) to claim a third title and make a return to sumo’s second highest rank.
Impressive as Terunofuji’s comeback was, a 12-3 championship is definitely on the lower end of the scale and the fact that eight men finished within two wins of that score is further proof that sumo is in a period of flux.
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