OSAKA—Three days after winning the Spring Grand Sumo Tournament, Kirishima was promoted to ozeki here on March 25, returning to the sport’s second highest-rank after nearly two years.
A messenger from the Japan Sumo Association informed Kirishima, 29, of its decision to promote him from the sekiwake rank.
Kirishima told the messenger, “I will make every effort to reach an even higher level.”
He clinched his third Emperor’s Cup in Osaka on March 21, concluding the 15-day tournament the next day with a 12-3 record. In the two previous two tournaments, he racked up 11 wins each, putting him over the threshold for promotion with his latest triumph.
This is the second time that Kirishima has been promoted to ozeki. He was first promoted after the 2023 Summer Grand Sumo Tournament. But injuries led to disappointing records and his demotion after the 2024 Summer Grand Sumo Tournament.
A demoted ozeki can regain that rank if he wins more than 10 bouts in the next tournament. But having failed to do so in the 2024 Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament, Kirishima is now the third sumo wrestler to regain the ozeki rank after falling below sekiwake.
The other two are Kaiketsu and Terunofuji, who went on to become yokozuna.
Three years ago when he was first promoted to ozeki, Kirishima’s stablemaster was Michinoku.
Having entered the sumo world with the ring name of Kiribayama, the Mongolian took over his stablemaster’s former ring name after gaining promotion to ozeki, the highest rank of his stablemaster.
Kirishima’s current stablemaster is Otowayama, the former yokozuna Kakuryu, another Mongolian.
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