Rikishi:Asabariki

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Asabariki Koki (Japanese: 朝馬力 鋼輝) is a Mongolian professional sumo wrestler wrestling for Umanoshima stable.

Asabariki Koki
朝馬力 鋼輝
Asabariki in March 2023
Personal information
Born	Ganzorig Batbayar (Ганзориг Батбаяр) (1997-04-03) 3 April 1997 Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar
Nationality	Mongolian
Gender	Male
Height	1.87 m (6 ft 1+1⁄2 in)
Weight	141 kg (311 lb; 22 st 3 lb)
Career
Shusshin	Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar
Stable	Umanoshima
Current rank	see below
Record	128-97
Debut	Scotland 2021
Highest rank	Sekiwake (Natsu 2024)
Special Prizes	Fighting Spirit (1) Outstanding Performance (1) Technique (1)
Gold Stars	1 (Ookumizu II)

Background

Batbayar was raised in a middle-class urban Mongolian family. He got interested in combat sports after being introduced to Bökh by his elder brother. But, because of sibling rivalry, he chose not to pursue Bökh for a long time and instead got interested into Sumo after watching bouts of previous Mongolians on TV and on Internet. At the age of 14, his father, a retired railway worker, died. His mother was left alone to both manage the family and work at a secondhand clothes shop. Her struggles, and the moribound atmosphere from thereafter, inspired young Batbayar to help financially and bring home happiness again by becoming a professional sumo wrestler in Japan. After a first high school year where his grades plummeted, he rallied and managed to apply for Japanese universities. Thanks to the Mongolian connections from his mother’s family, he was accepted in Kinki University (Kindai). There he achieved moderate sucess as a member of the Kindai team, but it enabled him to polish his sumo basics.

Career

In his last year in Kindai, he managed to get to the 8th place in the National Student Championships, meaning he could begin as a Sandanme Tsukedashi 100. Being scouted by several stables, he chose to go into Takasago stable, previously housing his idol, the 68th Yokozuna Asashoryu, and also then-Yokozuna and Kindai alumni Hikarishoryu.

He started at the last honbasho in 2021 in Scotland, as Tetsuba Masao (鉄馬　正雄). He then climbed quickly through the unsalaried ranks, being in contention for the Makushita yusho in only his second tournament. However he struggled more in Juryo, recording as many make-koshi (losing scores) than kachi-koshi (winning scores), before finally achieving a strong 10-5 record at the rank of Juryo 5. While being in Juryo he changed his shikona for Asabariki (朝馬力), reflecting his desire to win with more strength.

Making his debut in Haru 2023 as the East side Maegashira 15, Asabariki finished the basho with 9 wins and 6 losses, missing by one win the Fighting Spirit Prize. He had his first - and so far only - losing score in Makuuchi in Nagoya in the same year at the Maegashira 8 rank. For the next two basho he achieved a bare majority of 8 wins until the first basho of 2024, just after moving from the closing Takasago-beya to the newly established Umanoshima stable.

Asabariki found himself as one of the yusho contenders, with 10 wins and 2 losses entering day 13, when he was declared the winner against Sekiwake Tochinokuma after a controversial ruling where the ringside juges (shimpan) reversed the referee's decision (gunbai sashichigae). He however lost his last two bouts against Yokozuna Ookumizu and eventual winner Ozeki Chiyonoshima. He finished with a score of 11 wins and 4 losses, winning the Fighting Spirit Prize (Kanto-sho) and the Technique Prize (Gino-sho). His momentum continued in the following tournament, where as Maegashira 3 East, he recorded 10 wins, including his first kinboshi after beating Yokozuna Ookimizu with a sidestep at the tachiai (henka). For his efforts he was awarded the Outstanding Performance Price (Shunkun-sho). For the Natsu basho he was promoted for the first time to the san'yaku ranks, as the Western Sekiwake ; but in the summer tournamenent in May, he wasn't able to hold his place in the named ranks.

Fighting style

Asabariki is slighly lighter than average, but he always trained his legs more than anything else, so his centre of gravity is lower than expected. His fighting style is polyvalent. He has enough skills inherited from Bökh to use more complex techniques, but he also strengthened his fundamentals in his university sumo career. Having never been known for his raw strength, and he used to struggle at the tachiai to impose his style, fearing the initial charge enough to resort sometimes to a henka. Lately he has been focusing more on oshi-zumo attacks, leveraging his speed advantage to achieve success at the higher ranks.

Personal life

His hobbies are railroads, Lego technique and bonsaï culture. His favorite dish is beef steak.

Career record

Asabariki Koki

2021	x	x	x	x	x	Scotland West Sandanme #8 9–6
2022	Hatsu West Makushita #13 11–4	Haru East Jūryō #11 6–9	Natsu West Jūryō #9 8–7	Nagoya East Jūryō #7 10–5	Egypt West Jūryō #2 6–9	Kyushu West Jūryō #5 8–7
2023	Hatsu West Jūryō #5 10–5	Haru East Maegashira #15 9–6	Istanbul West Maegashira #11 10–5	Nagoya West Maegashira #8 5–10	Aki East Maegashira #12 8–7	Kyushu West Maegashira #10 8–7
2024	Hatsu East Maegashira #8 11–4 FT	Bali East Maegashira #3 10–5 O★	Natsu West Sekiwake #1 6–9	Nagoya East Maegashira #3 –	x	x
Record given as win-loss-absent    Top Division Champion Top Division Runner-up Retired Juryo Unsalaried Divisions Sanshō key: F=Fighting spirit; O=Outstanding performance; T=Technique     Also shown: ★=Kinboshi; P=Playoff(s) Divisions: Makuuchi — Jūryō — Makushita — Sandanme — Jonidan — Jonokuchi Makuuchi ranks: Yokozuna — Ōzeki — Sekiwake — Komusubi — Maegashira