Georgian wrestler Tochinoshin wins bout in new year’s Sumo Hatsu Basho
The 11th-ranked Maegashira won his encounter with his rival, ranked 12th, with a yorikiri move that pushed the 37-year-old out of the ring. Photo: video grab
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Georgian wrestler Levan Gorgadze, known in the sumo community as Tochinoshin, defeated his Japanese rival Okinoumi on the third day of the new year’s Sumo Hatsu Basho on Tuesday.
The 11th-ranked Maegashira won his encounter with his rival, ranked 12th, with a yorikiri move that pushed the 37-year-old out of the ring.
With Tochinoshin and Okunoumi sharing 23 career matches, the bout between the two marked a contest of veterans in the fixture of the new year.
The 35-year-old Georgian will next face the 23-year-old Kotoshōhō Yoshinari, ranked 13th. Tochinoshin has won all five previous bouts against the younger opponent.
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The retirement ceremony, also known as dampatsu-shiki - a hair-cutting ceremony, of Georgian sumo wrestler Levan Gorgadze, known in the sports community as Tochinoshin, was held on Sunday in Japan, after the Georgian athlete announced his retirement in May 2023.