Big boys do cry.
A sumo wrestler was brought to tears in the ring after overcoming incredible odds to win the New Year Grand Sumo, the first major tournament of the year.
Tokushoryu was virtually unknown before beating a series of decorated opponents during a 15-day tournament in Tokyo, Japan, which came to a close on Sunday. The 33-year-old underdog was hailed the victor after 14 wins and just one defeat.
“I might have cried too much, but at that moment I felt relieved from all the pressure,” said the 415-pound wrestler in a post-match interview, Kyodo News reported.
In his final bout, Tokushoryu heaved ozeki champion Takakeisho out of the ring, then, knowing he had bested his superior, quickly broke down in tears in front of fans at the Ryogoku Kokugikan stadium.
“Deep down I’m feeling like, ‘Is it okay for me to win the championship?’ I was the lowest-ranking fighter, so I had nothing to fear. I just had to give it everything I had,” he said.
It was a night of many first for Tokushoryu, who is now the first from Nara, in western Japan, to win this title in nearly a century, according to NHK News. He had spent 13 previous tournaments fighting in the sport’s second-division and is the first in almost 20 years to climb from No. 17 to the top. He said he’d almost “lost my appetite for victory” before becoming determined to conquer his previous failures.
“I learned that I should never stop and should keep aiming to get better,” he said.
The wrestler also took home two post-match prizes, the Outstanding Performance Prize and the Fighting Spirit Prize, for the first time in his career.
The 1,000-year-old sport is known for its stoicism, but Tokushoryu didn’t hold back.
“What have I done?” he said. “It feels like a dream. I don’t feel like myself. I feel like I’m walking on clouds.”
