Ryusei, a yokozuna (26, Tatsunami stable), has decided to withdraw from the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament starting from the second day. He injured himself during his match against Takayasu on the first day, and submitted a medical certificate diagnosing a “right hamstring strain.”
Before the bout in which he was injured, Ryusei engaged in a glaring contest with Takayasu that lasted over 20 seconds. Shibatayama Oyakata (63), former yokozuna Onokuni who provided commentary on ABEMA, pointed out, “A yokozuna is like a god, and gods don’t glare. Given his position as yokozuna, I wonder if he really needed to glare that much.” Shibatayama noted that before his promotion to yokozuna, Ryusei had also engaged in glaring, but his mentor once told him, “I don’t like glaring. You’re big, so just stand tall and confident.” That’s why Shibatayama questioned whether such an intense stare-down was necessary for a yokozuna.
Ryusei injured his right leg when he lost to Takayasu on the first day after the prolonged glare. He was caught with an overhead throw to his left after his head was pressed down, and when his legs spread apart, he hurt his right thigh area. He limped back to the hanamichi with the help of a shoulder, then went to the sumo clinic inside the Ryogoku Kokugikan while still in his mawashi, riding a wheelchair.
