The July basho got off to a rocky start for the mongolian wrestler, Kakuryu; not only did he trip up in his first bout against Endo – during an attempted manoeuvre to disrupt his Maegashira #1 opponent’s balance – but that same koshikudake – “inadvertent collapse” – aggravated an elbow injury he had sustained in practice; he has been nursing his right elbow since March.
Kakuryu bows out of the July tournament for now, with a 0 wins and 2 losses record. It is still unclear whether he aims to re-enter the towards the closing stages, however, due to the nature of the injury and the length of time he has been nursing his elbow, it seems unlikely.
Jūryō #1, Meisei, has been promoted as a stand-in for the rest of Kakuryu’s matches. Meisei will be looking to prove that he is once again ready for re-entry into the top Makuuchi division after being relegated after the March basho. He brings with him a perfect 2-0 score into the competition and will look to secure a win against Kotoyuki in Day-3 on the 21st of July.
My-Dohyo 
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