Sports

[JAPAN SPORTS NOTEBOOK] Terunofuji's Recovery from Knee Surgery Sparks Questions about His Future

Will the yokozuna, who has won seven Emperor's Cups in his career, be able to withstand the physical rigors of sumo in the foreseeable future?

Published

2 years ago

October 30, 2022

Ed Odeven

Terunofuji participates in the Japan Sumo Association's autumn tour in Ome, Tokyo Prefecture, on October 8. (KYODO)

This article first appeared on SportsLook, JAPAN Forward's dedicated sports website.

The upcoming November Grand Sumo Tournament will be held without yokozuna Terunofuji, who underwent endoscopic surgery on both knees on October 18.

When will Terunofuji return to competition?

There's no timetable, insisted stablemaster Isegahama several days after the Mongolian-born wrestler had medical procedures on both knees.

"He had the surgery only recently, so we just have to wait until his knees are healed," Isegahama was quoted as saying by Kyodo News.

Throughout his career, Terunofuji, like many other sumo wrestlers, has been plagued by chronic knee pain. He withdrew from the Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament in September with five days to go.

Since being promoted to yokozuna in September 2021, the same month that legendary grand champion Hakuho retired, Terunofuji has won the Emperor's Cup twice, with a 15-0 record in the 2021 November meet in Fukuoka and with a 12-3 mark in this year's Summer Basho in Tokyo in May.

Read the full story on SportsLook.

Author: Ed Odeven

Follow Ed on JAPAN Forward's [Japan Sports Notebook] here on Sundays, in [Odds and Evens] here during the week, and Twitter ＠ed_odeven, and find him on JAPAN Forward's dedicated sports website, SportsLook.