[sumo] Makushita Hopeful - Takamifuji

[Joe Kuroda <joe_kuroda@yahoo.com>]

Takamifuji
===========
Throwing away a stable career as civil servant,
Azumazeki Beya's Takamifuji joined Ozumo as Makushita
15 Tsukedashi ranking at this Haru Basho. "I realized
up here, that I could not keep winning by going with
only half hearted efforts. Unlike in the amateur
world, you cannot survive by simply doing average 
things in the pro," said Takamifuji who managed to get
two straight kachikoshis since his dohyo debut.
 
As a fourth year student at Toyo University, he was
crowned as the College Yokozuna two years ago. But he
gave up his dream of turning pro and went back to his
home prefecture of Okayama to help prepare for the All
Japan Athletic Tournament scheduled to be held in
Okayama in 2005. He joined the Wake-machi Townhall
and was assigned to work as a Tournament organizer.
"Of course I was planning to live a normal life once
the Tournament is over. I was more or less thinking of
spending the rest of my life in a rather secure and
ordinary environment as a government employee."

Then last September, he won the Yokozuna title again,
this time at a national non-college level amateur
athletic sumo championship.  He realized he still had
a burning desire to purse his dream of competing in
Ozumo. After discussing with Azumazeki oyakata who was
there scouting at the event, Takamifuji made up his
mind to turn pro. "I felt I was more suited to work
with sweat pouring all over my body than facing a
computer all day," Takamifuji said.

Takamifuji's technique is to get his opponent's body
raised up from right and then push him out of the
dohyo. "His body is still too tight. He can't even do
the leg split yet. But he has a good honest heart,"
Azumazeki oyakata said.

Takamifuji says he is aiming to become a sekitori to
repay his mother, Keiko, 50, who singlehandedly raised
him, his younger brother and two sisters.  

His shikona of "Fuji" comes from wisteria, in memory
of his home town of Wake-machi which is known for its
beautiful wisteria flower.  "I want to get promoted to
Juryo by the end of year," Takamifuji said.

Real name: Hideki Yokoyama, 187 cm tall and 141 kg. 24
years old.

-- Kyodo Press June 1, 2004

=====
.....Jonosuke 
  <  Heart  Technique  Physique     ?S   ?Z   ?Ì  >

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[EndPost by Joe Kuroda <joe_kuroda@yahoo.com>]