TOKYO (AFP) — Troubled grand champion Asashoryu returned to the ring on Sunday to a warm welcome from Japanese sumo fans, after spending three months in seclusion in his native Mongolia.
The Mongolian grand champion donned his sumo belt for the first time in four months for a non-competition regional tour in southwestern Kyushu.
"It felt good," the 27-year-old told fans, his face sweating from the training open. "I again realised how important it is to communicate with fans."
Asashoryu infuriated the sumo authority in July when he skipped a regional exhibition tour citing injuries but was caught on camera cheerfully playing a charity football match at home in Mongolia.
He was banned from two bi-monthly tournaments and had severe restrictions placed on his personal life until the end of November.
Citing mental depression, he went home for treatment in late August.
Asashoryu returned to Japan from Mongolia on Friday and delivered a sombre apology for the controversy he has caused.
But by Sunday he was grinning broadly and urging his fans to clap louder.
"He really is strong. I enjoyed it very much," one woman told Fuji TV.
Asashoryu also beat his compatriot, grand champion Hakuho, who won the last two career titles in his absence.
"Of course I am somewhat worried about how I could perform in the ring," Asashoryu said. "But I wanted to be in the ring most of all."
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