Ōshōma Degi

, born 9 April 1997 as Pürevsürengiin Delgerbayar (), is a Mongolian professional sumo wrestler from Töv Province. Wrestling for Naruto stable, he made his professional debut in November 2021, and became ''sekitori'' when he reached the ''jūryō'' division in July 2022.

Early life and sumo background

Ōshōma was born among the nomadic populations of Mongolia. As a child, he grew up riding horses and taking care of sheep. Ōshōma began wrestling at the age of 14 and at the age of 16, with the help of ''Yokozuna'' Asashōryū, he came in Japan at in Chiba prefecture along future ''yokozuna'' Hōshōryū. There, he won the National High School Championships. He then enrolled at Nippon Sport Science University and joined the university's sumo club. Between his second and third year, he won many tournaments including the National University Championships in Towada and the National Student Championships (openweight division); the National University Championships in Usa, the All-Japan University Championships and the National Student Championships in Kanazawa. In his fourth year, he became "student ''yokozuna''" at the National Student Championships in Towada. That last championship granted him the ''makushita tsukedashi'' status. Upon graduation from college he decided to turn pro and joined Naruto stable because its master, former '' ōzeki'' Kotoōshū, mentored him since his college days as training at a sumo stable is mandatory for foreign-born wrestlers to undergo the new apprentice examination.

Career

Early career

He made his professional debut in September 2021 and was given the ''shikona'', or ring name, to evoke both his master, with the kanji for , his hopes for success, with the kanji for and his nomadic past with the kanji meaning . His ''shikona'' first name was chosen with the kanji for 'move away' as it is phonetically reminiscent of part of his original first name: Delgerbayar.

His ''makushita tsukedashi'' allowed him to make his debut at the rank of ''makushita'' 15. Ōshōma however had to leave his stable as he lost his father in August 2021. Subsequently, and despite being officially listed as a wrestler, Ōshōma was granted a reprieve to attend his father's funeral and was listed as '' banzukegai'' in September 2021. Ōshōma shared the same recruit examination session as Kinbōzan, who began his career with the ''sandanme tsukedashi'' system. In May 2022, Ōshōma won the ''makushita'' championship with a prefect 7–0 record at the rank of ''makushita'' 8 with a win on Kitaharima on the last day. He was promoted to ''jūryō'' for the following July 2022 tournament, thus becoming the first ''sekitori'' raised by Kotoōshū.

During his ''jūryō'' debut Ōshōma had to withdraw from Day 8 of the July 2022 tournament after a COVID outbreak at Naruto stable and in September he broke his thumb during his first match. In November 2022, during his third tournament in ''jūryō'', Ōshōma defeated Daiamami in a playoff on the final day to claim the ''jūryō'' championship. In December of the same year, he injured his shoulders during a training session. He subsequently performed poorly for half of 2023, citing recurrences of pain as a factor in his lack of performance. During his training, he often asked for advice from upper-division wrestler and ''makuuchi'' veteran Tamawashi, who's also from Mongolia.

In preparation for the September 2023 tournament, he changed the spelling of his ''shikona'' first name from 出喜 to 出気, with the same pronunciation, to use the kanji meaning to ward off his recent injuries which were penalizing him in his wrestling.

During the March 2024 tournament, Ōshōma (then at the rank of ''jūryō'' 4) recorded a tenth victory over Asakōryū on Day 14, creating speculation in the press about a potential promotion to sumo's top division for the first time.

''Makuuchi'' promotion

Ōshōma's promotion to ''makuuchi'' was made official with the unveiling of the May 2024 tournament ''banzuke''. At the press conference at his stable, Ōshōma expressed his regret at having taken 2 years to reach this level of competition after a professional debut marked by injuries. His promotion to ''makuuchi'', however, makes Ōshōma the twenty-ninth Mongolian wrestler to reach the division for the first time, the latest being Mitoryū in 2022.

Personal life

Ōshōma has been married since December 2024 to an air hostess from Aichi prefecture, after a one-and-a-half-year relationship. In February 2025, he revealed that he was the father of a daughter born on January 9 of the same year.

Career record

See also

*Glossary of sumo terms
*List of active sumo wrestlers
*List of non-Japanese sumo wrestlers
*List of sumo tournament second division champions

References

External links

*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ōshōma Degi
1997 births
Living people
Mongolian sumo wrestlers
Nippon Sport Science University alumni
People from Töv Province