Kazakhstani sumo wrestler emerges as runner-up at prestigious tournament

Kazakhstani sumo wrestler Yersin Baltagul, competing under the Japanese name Kinbozan Haruki, secured a silver medal at the Hatsu Basho 2025 tournament (New Year’s sumo tournament) held in Tokyo, according to Tachiai.org, a sumo-focused blog. The tournament’s winner was Mongolian sumo wrestler nicknamed Hoshoryu Tomokatsu.

Kinbozan from Kazakhstan, Mongolian wrestler Hoshoryu Tomokatsu and Japanese wrestler Oho Konosuke finished with the same number of victories, prompting an extra round to determine the champion.

The wrestlers drew lots to decide who would initiate the fight. In the first bout, Hoshoryu defeated Kazakhstani Kinbozan; in the final round, the Mongolian wrestler outperformed Japan’s Oho, claiming the championship title and leaving Kinbozan and Oho to share second place.

This is not the first notable achievement for the Kazakhstani athlete. Before this year’s Hatsu Basho, Yersin Baltagul had secured victories and runner-up titles at various international tournaments. He began his sumo journey in November 2021 at the age of 24. Until he was 18, Baltgagul trained in judo and Kazakh wrestling but transitioned to sumo after Mongolian sumo wrestler Asashoryu encouraged him to enroll in a Japanese high school to be able to compete in amateur sumo contests. Following his graduation from Nihon University, Baltagul pursued a career as a professional sumo wrestler.