OSAKA (Kyodo) -- Spring Grand Sumo Tournament winner Onosato said Monday he had struggled with the weight of expectation since his promotion to ozeki and was glad to overcome the pressure on the way to his third title in Osaka.

The 24-year-old from Ishikawa Prefecture clinched the championship in a tie-breaking playoff Sunday against veteran former ozeki Takayasu after both finished the 15-day tournament at Edion Arena Osaka with 12 wins and three losses.

Onosato was promoted to sumo's second-highest rank after winning his second championship last September but failed to live up to his own lofty standards in the two subsequent tournaments in November and January, posting 9-6 and 10-5 records, respectively.

"In the two previous tournaments, I succumbed to the pressure of the ozeki rank," Onosato said during a press conference at the competition venue in Osaka. "I'm glad that my training has yielded results."

With a powerful 192-centimeter, 183-kilogram frame and an attacking brand of sumo, Onosato has commanded the spotlight since making his top-division debut in January 2024.

His three Emperor's Cups tie him for the most among active wrestlers. After lifting the trophy as an ozeki for the first time, he will bid for promotion to the highest rank, yokozuna, at the next grand tournament at Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan arena in May.

"I don't think it will be easy," Onosato said. "I won't try to rush things and will do what I can at my own pace."

If he succeeds, he will become the first Japanese-born yokozuna since his stablemaster, the former Kisenosato, who was promoted after the January 2017 tournament.

"I still have a long way to go," he said. "I'll keep working on my sumo as I pursue my goal."

==Kyodo