Baruto Kaito
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| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Birth name | Kaido Höövelson | |
| Date of birth | November 5, 1984 | |
| Place of birth | Rakvere, Estonia | |
| Height | 1.97 m (6 ft 51⁄2 in) | |
| Weight | 174 kg (380 lb/27.4 st) | |
| Career* | ||
| Heya | Onoe, formerly Mihogaseki | |
| Current rank | Maegashira 1, West | |
| Record | 172-67-57 | |
| Debut | May, 2004 | |
| Highest rank | Maegashira 1 (September, 2006) | |
| Yusho | 3 (Jūryō) 1 (Makushita) 1 (Jonidan) 1 (Jonokuchi) |
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| Special Prizes | Fighting Spirit (3) | |
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* Career information is correct as of May 2008. |
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Baruto Kaito (born November 5, 1984 as Kaido Höövelson) is a professional sumo wrestler from Rakvere, Estonia. He is one of only two Estonians ever to join the sport in Japan, and the first to reach the top division. His fighting name or shikona is a reference to the Japanese name of the Baltic sea.
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[edit] Early career
He played basketball as a teenager and also won a national judo championship in Estonia.[1] He was introduced to amateur sumo through his judo coach, and an official from the Kagoshima Prefecture Sumo Association encouraged him to join the professional sport.[1] Due to the restrictions on foreigners entering sumo, the only stable with a place available was Mihogaseki.[1] Baruto made his professional debut in May 2004. He moved very quickly up the rankings, reaching the jūryō division after only 8 tournaments (tied for the third fastest rise to sekitori status since 1958 when the current 6 tournament a year format was adopted) and compiling a record of 41-8 on the way.
Baruto won the jūryō division March 2006 honbasho tournament with a perfect 15-0 result. This was only the fourth time ever that a jūryō wrestler has won the championship with such a record. He was the first to achieve this since Kitanofuji, who ultimately reached the top yokozuna rank, in 1963. As a result of this performance he was promoted to makuuchi, the highest division, for the first time in his career in May 2006. It is likely that Baruto could have achieved a more rapid rise to the top division, were it not for him suffering from appendicitis in November 2005, the resulting absence from the tournament sending him back down to the third highest makushita division temporarily. Despite this, his rise to the top division in two years is equal to the second fastest ever.
[edit] Top division career
In his first tournament in the top division Baruto scored a strong 11-4 record and won the kanto-sho (or Fighting Spirit Prize). After a second winning record in July and another promotion, Baruto's quick ascent through the ranks halted at maegashira 1. He withdrew from the September tournament with an injury, which lowered his standing to maegashira 6 in the November tournament. The result of 10-5 there took him up to maegashira 3, but he was again injured in the January 2007 tournament. He suffered a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. He was unable to compete in the March tournament as well and his ranking suffered, resulting in a return to the jūryō ranks. In May he won the jūryō championship with a 14-1 record, resulting in an immediate return to makuuchi in July to the position of maegashira 14 East. However he re-injured his knee on the opening day and decided to withdraw from the tournament.[2] It was the third time he had injured the knee, each time each in a different place. He has not yet undergone surgery, which would require a lengthy lay-off.[3]In September, despite being clearly still troubled by his knee, he took his third jūryō division championship with a 13-2 record. This was enough to earn promotion back to the top division for November. He was in contention for the championship until the final days of the tournament when he was defeated by ozeki Chiyotaikai and komusubi Ama. He finished with an 11-4 record and was awarded his second Fighting Spirit Prize.
In the January 2008 tournament Baruto produced a 7-8 score, the first time in his career that he has completed a tournament and finished with more losses than wins. He performed much better in March, finishing as joint runner-up with 12 wins and being awarded another Fighting Spirit Prize. In the May 2008 tournament he was unable to defeat any of the top rankers and could only manage five wins.
He is noted by his peers and the press as having a good attitude, always smiling whether he has won or lost, and always being sure not to injure his opponent.
[edit] Top division record
| January Hatsu basho, Tokyo |
March Haru basho, Osaka |
May Natsu basho, Tokyo |
July Nagoya basho, Nagoya |
September Aki basho, Tokyo |
November Kyūshū basho, Fukuoka |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | x | x | West Maegashira #11 11–4 F |
West Maegashira #4 9–6 |
East Maegashira #1 4–7–4 |
West Maegashira #6 10–5 |
| 2007 | West Maegashira #3 2–2–11 |
Sat out due to injury | (Jūryō) | East Maegashira #14 0–2–13 |
(Jūryō) | East Maegashira #16 11–4 F |
| 2008 | West Maegashira #6 7–8 |
East Maegashira #7 12–3 F |
West Maegashira #1 5–10 |
x | x | x |
| Record given as win-loss-absent Championship Retired Demoted from makuuchi Sanshō key: F=Fighting spirit; O=Outstanding performance; T=Technique Also shown: ★=Kinboshi |
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[edit] References
- ^ a b c Buckton, Mark (June 2006). SFM Interview: Baruto. Sumo Fan Magazine. Retrieved on 2008-05-29.
- ^ Japan Today - News - Estonian wrestler Baruto withdraws from Nagoya meet
- ^ Hardy, James (July 11, 2007). INSIDE GRIP: Stoic sumo needs new injury policy. Daily Yomiuri Online. Retrieved on 2007-07-13.
- ^ Rikishi in Juryo and Makunouchi (English). szumo.hu. Retrieved on 2007-07-03.
