[sumo] Fwd: [Sumo news] - Aonishiki's state of mind

[Jeff A]

Moti

Gaijingai

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Moti Dichne <niramiai at gmail.com>
Date: Mon, Jul 13, 2026 at 4:28 PM
Subject: [Sumo news] - Aonishiki's state of mind
To: Sumo Newsletter2 <sumo-newsletter2 at googlegroups.com>


Aonishiki beat Churanoumi today, getting his second consecutive win since
the the basho started. Maintaining his characteristic forward movement, he
patiently continued to look for an opportunity to win. In contrast to the
first day when he took a slightly erratic stance at the start (yeah,
right..) to get a grip, he has returned to his original style. "I focused
on my own movements. I tried to go lower than my opponent. I felt like I
was moving better than I thought." However, he was seen worrying about his
left ankle ringside after the match, indicating that his injury is not yet
fully healed. Despite this, starting with two wins is not a bad thing. On
the first day, he took a slightly erratic (again?) stance to get a left
grip, but the fact that he won was significant. "It's not perfect, but I
feel like I've overcome one thing. It felt special," he reflected.

He has always said that the first day is particularly tense for him. It's
not a bad start, but he's not getting carried away. "I've only been
competing for two days. I haven't faced anyone higher in rank, and I
haven't faced anyone bigger than me." Although he was demoted from Ozeki ,
he can regain the rank if he achieves 10 or more wins. However, Aonishiki
is not fixated on the numbers. "Rather than focusing too much on wins, I'm
trying to concentrate on doing my own sumo properly. Winning isn't
everything." There's a reason behind his thinking. "I'm still young. I'm
aiming to go up one or two ranks higher. It's better not to get too hung up
on the numbers." He's not just focusing on regaining his Ozeki rank in this
tournament, but is looking at his sumo career from a broader perspective.
That's why, even with injuries, he doesn't push himself too hard. On the
contrary, the atmosphere he creates in the dressing room is calm. "I'm
trying not to think about unnecessary things and to live each day to the
fullest. That's what leads to the most growth. I'll do my best to show good
sumo tomorrow as well." Aonishiki, who speaks fluent Japanese, deliberately
used the expression "to live." [Ichiro Sasaki]

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