I can now confirm that Hakuho, the 69th and most successful yokozuna of all time, has finally retired. It comes as no great surprise, since speculation of a retirement has been mooted for a few years now.

I saw the young Hakuho way back in 2006 at the spring basho in Osaka. Little did any of us know then that he would make yokozuna the following year. Consider the following stats.

Firstly, he has won 45 Emperor's Cup titles, beating the next best Taiho (33) way back in 2015. He has set records for the most career wins (1187), most makuuchi (top division) wins (1093), most wins as a yokozuna (899), most tournaments at the rank of yokozuna (84), most wins in a calendar year (86) and most titles with a 15-0 record (16).

This spectacular and unlikely to be beaten record may not mean much to those who don't know sumo, but if I said that he was Michael Jordan, Babe Ruth (Don Bradman for Aussies), Pele and Michael Phelps all rolled into one, you might get some idea of his prowess.

He will be sorely missed - though he had his critics - but the like of him will not come again. I think, however, he will make a good oyakata.

'What, another one!'

Courtesy Asahi Shimbun