Daieisho makes history as he wins the 2021 January Basho!
After 15 spectacular days of Sumo action, Daieisho of Saitama pref. made history after he was crowned Champion at the 2021 January Sumo Tournament; his first ever Makuuchi Division Yūshō!
The Maegashira #1 Sumo wrestler first sparked interest in the event after his initial victories against the tournament’s highest ranked Ozeki competitors: Asanoyama, Takakeisho and Shodai. Daieisho’s fantastic run of success didn’t stop there: by the end of the 8th day of the Basho, he managed to amass an incredible, rank defying, 8-0 win streak.
Despite his sensational start to the tournament, Daieisho’s pathway to the Yūshō was far from simple; towards the latter stages of the event, he was met by the growing threat of the Ozeki ranked wrestler, Shodai, who by that point had begun to find strong form in the first Basho of the year. However, Daieisho kept his cool to the end and proved his mettle by finishing the event with a breath-taking 13:2 win record – a result that proved to be unsurpassable by his Ozeki counterpart who failed to win a single bout in the final 2 days of the tournament!
If the Makuuchi Division Yūshō wasn’t enough for the Maegashira ranked fighter, Daieisho was met with two further awards as a result of his strong performance in this Basho: the Shukun-sho (Outstanding Performance Award) and the Gino-sho(Technique Prize) – the latter being yet another career-first for 27-year-old Daieisho!
With the next Sumo Basho taking place in March, Sumo fans will have to wait the best part of two months before they see the likes of Daieisho and Shodai take centre stage once again. One begs the question: will Daieisho’s form continue through to the 2021 March event, or will another competitor successfully challenge him for the Yūshō? We will have to wait and see!
My-Dohyo 