TOKYO - Ozeki Kirishima put in a confident performance in practice Friday ahead of his second straight bid for yokozuna promotion at the Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament.
The Mongolian-born grappler traveled outside his stable to spar with other top-division wrestlers for the first time since rankings for the Sept. 13-27 tournament were announced and fought a spirited head-to-head series against yokozuna Onosato.
Out of 16 practice bouts, Kirishima contested 11 with Onosato, winning five and losing six.
"It was fun. I trained with a strong desire not to lose," Kirishima said.
Kirishima repeatedly attacked the yokozuna from his left in an apparent attempt to limit his powerful righthand inside grip.
Having lost their first 10 grand tournament meetings, Kirishima finally beat Onosato at the most recent meet in July and appears to be finding ways to challenge the yokozuna.
"I'm thinking through various strategies," Kirishima said. "Since this is the practice ring, it's important to be bold and give it my all."
The 30-year-old Kirishima has posted a 12-3 record in three consecutive tournaments since winning his third title at the Spring meet. To reach the sport's highest rank, he will likely need to secure a championship with at least 13 wins at Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan.
He plans to continue traveling to other stables for practice bouts in preparation for the 15-day competition.
"Every tournament is crucial," he said. "I'm going to stick to my own pace right to the end."
