Two-time defending amateur yokozuna Daiki Nakamura on Thursday announced his decision to join professional sumo.

Arguably the most eagerly awaited prospect to come out of collegiate sumo in decades, Nakamura is entering Nishonoseki stable, where he will be coached and mentored in the pro ranks by former yokozuna Kisenosato.

Landing the 22-year-old is a huge achievement for a stable established just over 18 months ago, especially with several other prominent sumo beya pushing hard to land the highly decorated Nippon Sport Science University graduate.

¡°It feels good to finally have my entry into ¨­³ú³Ü³¾´Ç decided,¡± Nakamura said in a statement. ¡°It was the stable that I hoped to join, so I¡¯m happy.¡±

Nakamura¡¯s extensive list of titles in amateur sumo will allow him to start his professional career in May at the rank of makushita 10 (tsukedashi) in the third tier, where a division championship would see him promoted to the salaried ranks for the July meet.

It¡¯s a target well within reach, and not one Nakamura was shy about acknowledging.

¡°I¡¯ve taken my first step as a pro, and I want to get used to life in the stable quickly and train hard ahead of the summer tournament so I can move up to sekitori,¡± he said.

?zumo¡¯s rules, which don¡¯t allow stablemates to face each other in regulation bouts, means most sumo fans will be happy to hear that the 193-cm, 175-kg Ishikawa native has chosen Nishonoseki Beya.

Had Nakamura become part of the all-star lineup that former yokozuna Hakuho is putting together at Miyagino stable, he would have denied fans the opportunity to see him face other fast-rising hopes such as Hokuseiho and Ochiai in tournament settings.

Those mouthwatering clashes aren¡¯t too far away, now, as Nakamura¡¯s potential for greatness is obvious to anyone that¡¯s seen him in action.

It was a topic that Nishonoseki stablemaster touched on in the news release, saying: ¡°I have watched him in training and seen many of his bouts, and his high qualities left an impression.

¡°He is blessed with a good physique. There aren¡¯t many wrestlers over 190 cm with that kind of energetic and gutsy spirited sumo.¡±

Despite all the accolades, and an amateur career without parallel, Nakamura isn¡¯t the finished article just yet, according to his new oyakata.

¡°He still has room to grow. I was also a tall rikishi with long legs so I¡¯m looking forward to passing on what I learned in the future,¡± Nishonoseki said. ¡°I want him to continue to train properly and do what he needs to do without worrying about instant success.¡±