Photo/Illutration Yokozuna Terunofuji, left, forces out sekiwake Kotonowaka in a playoff at the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament at Tokyo’s Ryogoku Kokugikan on Jan. 28. (Koichiro Yoshida)

Yokozuna Terunofuji captured his ninth career title at the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament on Jan. 28, marking a stunning comeback after staying away from the dohyo for roughly half a year due to injuries.

The 32-year-old Mongolian grand champion forced out sekiwake Kotonowaka, 26, who was seeking his first Emperor’s Cup, in a playoff at Tokyo’s Ryogoku Kokugikan.

The two wrestlers entered the final day of the 15-day tournament, tied at 12-2.

Kotonowaka clinched his 13th win by defeating rank-and-filer Tobizaru, and Terunofuji matched the record by crushing ozeki Kirishima in the final bout of the day.

Mongolian Kirishima, 27, was following the two leaders with three losses after Day 14.

Kotonowaka is expected to be promoted to ozeki at an extraordinary meeting of the Japan Sumo Association’s board of directors on Jan. 31, sources said.

He finished the Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament in September with nine wins and the Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament in November with 11 wins.

Kirishima, who won the Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament, had a chance to be promoted to yokozuna if he secured back-to-back victories.

Terunofuji won his last championship in the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament in May.

But the yokozuna, plagued by knee and waist injuries, dropped out halfway through the following Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament in July and missed two consecutive tournaments last year.

Terunofuji rose to the second-highest rank of ozeki in 2015 but tumbled to as low as the second-lowest division of jonidan.

He again rose through the ranks to ozeki in the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament in 2021 and was promoted to the grand champion in the Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament that year.

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