Against all odds: The Sumo wrestler who stunned Japan

Tokushorio worked his way out and finished first as a 14-time champion with a single 15-day loss. "I may have cried too much, but at that moment I felt relieved of all the pressure," he said at the finish. Winning it made him the first wrestler from the bottom of the rankings to win the competition since 2000

Against all odds: The Sumo wrestler who stunned Japan

Sumo wrestler who had the lowest odds of winning stunned Japan and won the first major competition of the year. Tokosaurio, who was a relatively unknown contender until his winning streak, worked his way out against his Tokyo rivals, finishing Sunday's 15-day competition with just 14 wins and one loss.

The wrestler, weighing 188 pounds, defeated Takeshiyo, who holds the title of champion, and burst into tears when the crowd at the Tokyo Stadium did not know his enthusiasm.

"I may have cried too much, but at that moment I felt relieved of all the pressure," said the freshman general in an interview he gave after his victory. "Deep down, I ask myself, 'Is it okay that I won the competition? I was the lowest ranking wrestler so I had nothing to fear. I had to give everything I have."

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"I feel like I'm walking on clouds." Tokushorio bursts into tears at the end of the competition (Photo: GettyImages)

Tokushoriyo the sumo wrestler who surprised and won the tournament in Japan. January 29, 2020. (Photo: GettyImages)

Tokosaurio, who was only ranked 17th at the start of the competition, became the first wrestler from the bottom of the rank to win a major sumo competition since 2000. He said he was influenced by the death of his university coach. "I thought I should do it for him," he said. The 33-year-old wrestler, who competed in the previous 13 second-tier tournaments, is also the first wrestler from Nara town in western Japan to win the "Emperor's Cup" in 100 years.

His heroic triumph, along with the expressive sentiment of the conservative sumo world, captivated ordinary viewers that the sumo competition titles end with the wrestling elite, which also includes the two Mongolian Yokohonos Kuho and Yakurio, who missed the competition for injuries.

"What did I do?" Said Tokushorio, who failed to hide his excitement even a day after winning the competition. "It feels like a dream. I don't feel like myself. I feel like I'm walking on clouds."

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