23-year-old sumo wrestler quits after 104-match losing streak

The 23-year-old ends his career with 3 wins, 1 tie and a whopping 238 losses.

Low Jia Ying | August 29, 2021, 04:19 PM

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Sumo wrestler Shonanzakura will finally be retiring from the sport, after enduring 104 straight losses, a record in sumo wrestling history, The Sankei News reported.

The 23-year-old ends his career with 3 wins, 1 tie and 238 losses.

Coaches & fans commend his fighting spirit

The head of his sumo training school, Kitazakura, expressed his sadness for Shonanzakura's departure from the sport.

“No matter how many times he lost, he was always willing to take on the challenge,” Sora News reported Kitazakura as saying.

“He had an amazing spirit […] In the morning, he was always the first one out of bed and ready to go in the practice ring.”

Fans also commended his professionalism and persistence in the sport:

https://twitter.com/agunn/status/1430751694074171392

Some also wished him luck on his life beyond sumo wrestling:

Last win in 2019

Shonanzakura last won a match in Jan. 21, 2019, Sora News reported.

Unfortunately, that would be the last match he would ever win.

Shonanzakura had already completed his hair-cutting ceremony, which symbolises a sumo wrestler's retirement from the sport.

He has since returned to his parents' home in Kanagawa and is preparing for his life after sumo wrestling, reported Nikkan Sports.

Here is a compilation of his matches:

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