Yokozuna Terunofuji will miss the impending Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament due to inadequate preparation stemming from ongoing health issues, his Isegahama stable decided Friday.
The 32-year-old grand champion has been dealing with symptoms of diabetes, as well as a recurrence of chronic knee pain, which have made it difficult for him to get into shape for the 15-day meet starting Sunday at Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan.
Stablemaster Isegahama said Terunofuji's knee problems had prevented him alleviating his diabetes symptoms through physical exercise.
"His blood-sugar level won't go down and he's lost more than 10 kilograms," Isegahama said. "He hasn't been able to exercise because of his bad knees. If he can work up a sweat, his blood sugar will go back down."
Isegahama, formerly yokozuna Asahifuji, said sumo's only current grand champion would aim to get back in the ring during the fall tour following the tournament.
"His knees will take about two weeks to heal, so I think he'll be ready to go once they're better," Isegahama said.
Terunofuji won his 10th Emperor's Cup at the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament in July, when he finished a meet for the first time since January.
The Mongolian-born wrestler has been hampered by physical setbacks throughout his career. He held the second-highest rank of ozeki from July 2015 to September 2017 before injuries led to him plummeting to the fifth-tier jonidan division by March 2019.
He climbed all the way back to the top-tier makuuchi division in July 2020, when he remarkably won his second Emperor's Cup. He was promoted to yokozuna ahead of the September 2021 grand tournament.
The health concerns have continued since Terunofuji reached the exalted rank, however, with the latest withdrawal meaning he has only completed eight of his 19 meets as a grand champion.
He has nevertheless remained dominant when able to compete, winning six of those eight tournaments, including his most recent title in Nagoya.
Terunofuji's absence leaves a pair of ozeki, Kotozakura and Mongolian-born Hoshoryu, as the highest-ranked wrestlers competing at the September meet.
Related coverage:
Sumo: Nagoya meet winner Terunofuji says field is deepest he has seen
Sumo: Terunofuji wins Nagoya playoff for 10th career championship
Sumo: Takakeisho determined to regain ozeki ranking in September
