Kotoōshū Katsunori
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| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Real name | Kaloyan Stefanov Mahlyanov | |
| Date of birth | February 19, 1983 | |
| Place of birth | Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria | |
| Height | 203.0cm (6'8") | |
| Weight | 152.0kg (334lb) | |
| Career* | ||
| Heya | Sadogatake | |
| Rank | Ozeki | |
| Record | 222-104-0 | |
| Debut | November, 2002 | |
| Highest rank | Ozeki (January, 2006) | |
| Yushos | 1 (Juryo) 1 (Makushita) 1 (Jonokuchi) |
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| Special Prizes | Outstanding Performance (2) Fighting Spirit (3) |
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| Gold stars | 0 | |
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* Career information is correct as of January 2007. |
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Kotooshu Katsunori (琴欧洲勝紀 Kotoōshū Katsunori?), (born Kaloyan Stefanov Mahlyanov (Bulgarian: Калоян Стефанов Махлянов) on February 19, 1983 in Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria) is a professional sumo wrestler or rikishi. He is currently ranked as an ozeki or 'champion', the second-highest level in the sumo ranking system behind only yokozuna. Popular with the Japanese public with his good looks, he has been called the "David Beckham of Sumo" and the "Prince of Sumo," although he expressed displeasure with the former moniker.
Kotooshu is a tall and rather light rikishi at 203 cm (6 feet, 8 inches) and 152 kg (334 pounds). In comparison, former yokozuna (grand champion) Akebono at the same height, weighed 235 kg (517 pounds) at his peak. The yokozuna Asashoryu is about the same weight, but is only 184 cm in height. He primarily relies on so-called 'belt-throws' to win his sumo bouts. In the past three tournaments, he has typically preferred to take a hidari-yotsu (left-hand grip) on his opponent's mawashi (the belt that is fixed around the wrestler's waist), although he is right handed and his overall profile still shows him preferring migi-yotsu. He uses his long arms and quick footwork to counteract his high center of gravity and relatively light weight. In recent days, at his stablemaster's urging, he has begun to gain weight.
Kotooshu's sumo debut was in November 2002, starting in the lowest-ranked Jonokuchi division. He posted kachikoshi (winning records in tournaments) throughout his early career, going 71-15 in the Makushita lower divisions.
Upon reaching the Makuuchi upper division in September 2004, he had kachikoshi winning records for four consecutive tournaments, being promoted to Sanyaku at the rank of komusubi before the March 2005 basho (sumo tournament). At the rank of komusubi, he made his first makekoshi (losing tournament) record, and was demoted to maegashira again before returning to the higher rank of komusubi in the Summer sumo basho in July 2005.
In the May 2005 basho Kotooshu was injured in a bout against the current sole yokozuna, Asashoryu Akinori. However, Kotooshu took his revenge in the following July tournament with an overarm (uwatenage) throw, bringing to an end a run of over twenty consecutive bout victories for the yokozuna. In addition to defeating Asashoryu he also was the runner up in the tournament, winning an "outstanding performance" sansho.
Kotooshu was promoted to sekiwake for the following September tournament and scored an exceptional 13-2 runner up record, only losing the tournament victory after a play-off bout with Asashoryu. An 11-4 record in the final, November, tournament of 2005, including another victory over the otherwise dominant Asashoryu, led to his promotion to the rank of ozeki on November 30, 2005. His three tournament record (on which ozeki promotions are based) was 36-9.
His promotion to ozeki took only 19 tournaments from his professional sumo debut. This represents the most rapid rise for a wrestler entering professional sumo from the bottom Jonokuchi division, although he was not the youngest to achieve this feat. (Certain experienced amateur wrestlers can be given dispensation to start in the third-highest Makushita division.) He is also the first wrestler of European origin to hold the ozeki rank, and one of only six non-Japanese have to achieved it (the others being Konishiki, Akebono, and Musashimaru from Hawaii; and Asashoryu and Hakuho from Mongolia). Of those six, three (Akebono, Musashimaru, and Asashoryu) later ascended to sumo's highest rank of yokozuna. However, he is the only active ozeki without an upper-division championship.
Since his promotion, Kotooshu has been somewhat restricted by a knee injury. He has turned in adequate scores but has not looked like winning a tournament. He has also been criticised for relying too much on the henka technique-- jumping to the side at the initial charge. It is not considered to be a move worthy of someone at his high rank.
[edit] Trivia
- His name is derived from his place of origin--koto, shared by all wrestlers at his stable, and ōshū, an older Sino-Japanese term for Europe. Following the September 2006 tournament, he changed one of the characters in his ring name (州 became 洲), although the pronunciation, shū, is the same for both.
- He is noted for being a fan of the singer Ayaya, so much so that it prompted a commercial where they appear together (although a surprised Kotooshu found out the day of filming that their parts were to be digitally melded). He often appears in TV commercials of yogurt products. This is because a Japanese dairy company, Meiji Dairies Corporation, sells a series of yogurt products under a name of Bulgaria Yogurt.
