Chiyotaikai Ryūji was given his "shikona" (wrestler name) in honour of his stablemaster and joined professional sumo in November 1992 and became a "sekitori" in July 1995 upon entering the second highest "jūryō" division. He remained in "jūryō" for another two years, but after winning two "jūryō" championships in March and July 1997 he reached "makuuchi", the top division. In May 1998, Chiyotaikai was made "komusubi" and never left the "san'yaku" ranks after that. He won the prestigious Technique Prize three times that year. In January 1999, he won his first top division championship, defeating "yokozuna" Takanohana and Wakanohana on the last
Sport in Slovakia disciplines. She also won a silver medal in the mass start race at the 2009 World Championships and a bronze in the sprint at the 2011 Worlds. Martina Halinárová won a silver medal in the pursuit at the 1999 World Championships. The table shows the most recent rankings of Slovak national teams in the most popular sports. Sport in Slovakia Sport in Slovakia is influenced by its climate and geography; popular summer sports include football, tennis, volleyball, swimming, cycling and hiking, popular winter sports include skiing and snowboarding. The most watched sports in Slovakia are football, ice hockey and tennis.