Photo/Illutration Terunofuji, officially “recommended” to be promoted to yokozuna, holds an online news conference on July 19. (Provided by the Japan Sumo Association)

Ozeki Terunofuji may have come up one victory short on the final day of the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament, but he walked away with the most coveted prize in his sport: promotion to yokozuna.

The Yokozuna Deliberation Council on July 19 “recommended” unanimously that the Mongolian be promoted to sumo's highest rank.

Terunofuji, 29, a member of the Isegahama stable, recorded two consecutive Emperor Cups before finishing with a 14-1 mark in Nagoya, his only loss coming on the final day to yokozuna Hakuho.

“In the tournaments with the absence of a yokozuna, he won two times successively, and gained 14 wins in the latest tournament. We highly evaluated his achievements,” said Hironori Yano, the council chairman. “I listened to his interviews when he won the March and May tournaments, and he was not lacking in dignity at all. I think he can become a great yokozuna.”

Terunofuji held an online news conference on July 19 and said, “I did everything that I could do now.”

The Japan Sumo Association that received the recommendation will hold an extraordinary board meeting and determine the new rankings on July 21. On that day, Terunofuji will be the first to be promoted to yokozuna in the Reiwa Era, which started in 2019.

In his online news conference, Terunofuji also talked about what he will say at his promotion ceremony on July 21.

“I will think again about what sort of position a yokozuna is and how I should live my life as a yokozuna,” he said.

Terunofuji's unprecedented comeback has sparked major excitement in the sport over the past year. He was promoted to ozeki in 2015 and appeared on track for yokozuna, but injuries derailed his career over the next few years.

He plummeted all the way to the second-lowest jonidan division and admitted thinking many times of retirement.

But he fought his way back up through the ranks and from seemingly out of nowhere, Terunofuji won the July Grand Sumo Tournament in 2020, his first Emperor's Cup since 2015. He returned to ozeki following his triumph in the Spring Grand Sumo Tournament in Tokyo in March.  

Terunofuji will be the first wrestler to ascend to the highest rank since Kisenosato was promoted to yokozuna following the January tournament in 2017.

He will be the seventh yokozuna hailing from abroad. The others are Akebono, Musashimaru, Asashoryu, Hakuho, Harumafuji and Kakuryu. He will be the fifth yokozuna from Mongolia.

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