\# Takayasu heads into Nagoya Basho as the oldest in Makuuchi for the first time: "I am a competitor. I cannot lose to the young ones"... First day on July 12th

Grand Sumo's Makuuchi Takayasu (Tagonoura stable) fought a total of 16 training bouts against wrestlers from the Makushita division and below on the 5th at his stable's lodging in Seto City, Aichi Prefecture, gearing up for the Nagoya Basho. He sat out midway through the last tournament due to a right adductor muscle injury, but is recovering smoothly, stating, "I can practice with almost nothing bothering me." Up to this point, he has been thoroughly moving his body at his own stable and expressed, "Since I was able to make adjustments without any oversight, now all that's left is for my body to move properly."

With 41-year-old Tamawashi (Kataonami stable) dropping to the Juryo division for this tournament, the entire Makuuchi division consists of wrestlers born in the Heisei era for the first time in history. The 36-year-old Takayasu will be approaching the tournament as the oldest in Makuuchi for the first time, giving a wry smile as he said, "I ended up becoming the single oldest person. That's rough." Nevertheless, his competitive fire shows no signs of waning: "At the end of the day, I am a competitor (shobushi). I cannot lose to the young ones, and if I lose and it stops feeling frustrating, then it's all over."

Starting this year, the Nagoya Basho lodging has relocated to Hachioji Shrine in Seto City. It has become an environment where it is easy to observe the practices, and many associates and fans watched over them on this day as well. "It's extremely easy to live here, and having this many fans gather allows us to do spirited practices. I'm grateful for this wonderful environment," he said with a smile.

Due to his withdrawal last tournament, he fell from the sanyaku ranks, but what continues to be expected of him is his long-awaited first championship victory. The former Ozeki put strength into his words, stating, "I want to perform fulfilling sumo until the final day (Senshuraku) while making sure not to get injured. If I do that, I think the results will come through by the final phase." (Naofumi Hayashi)

[Hochi Shimbun](https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/5bedf4427341101b2c1ecf7c815d57be408c5196)

Takayasu heads into Nagoya Basho as the oldest in Makuuchi for the first time: "I am a competitor. I cannot lose to the young ones"... First day on July 12th