SUMO/ Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament: Hakuho wins No. 8 as Asa sinks ...

Tag : sinks

Defending champion Hakuho, sekiwake Ama and rank-and-file wrestlerGoeido held onto their shares of the lead with one loss apieceMonday at the Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament, while troubled yokozunaAsashoryu fell to yet another defeat.
Hakuho, who won the last tournament with a perfect record, thrustboth hands into Toyonoshima's face and then kept the pressure onuntil the sekiwake crumpled to the dirt.
Asashoryu, however, was outsmarted by sekiwake Ama, who twisted tothe side at the start and then spun back around to get behind theyokozuna and send him running out of the ring head first.
The loss added to what has been a terrible showing for the onceinvincible Asashoryu, who now has four losses. Asashoryu sat outthe previous tournament and is fighting with an elbow injury.Whether he can make it to the end of this one is now an openquestion.
Also at 8-1, No. 5 maegashira Goeido, one of the tournament'ssurprise stars, marked a dramatic come-from-behind win by holdingoff a determined attack from No. 10 maegashira Futeno. He wascredited with a neck throw for the victory. Today he will have toface Asashoryu. The bout will be crucial for him--if he wins, hewill establish himself as a wrestler to watch in the months ahead.
Kotomitsuki, staying one loss behind at 7-2, had a relatively easytime with No. 5 maegashira Kakuryu, pushing him over in the ozeki'stypical straightforward style.
Despite some trouble getting his timing right at the start,Bulgarian ozeki Kotooshu slipped his right arm inside No. 4Aminishiki's defenses and used the hold to pull his opponent offbalance and send him careening backward. Kotooshu is stillsomething of a mystery this tournament. With four losses, he isprobably out of the title race and needs to use the remaining daysto simply save face.
Veteran ozeki Kaio grappled No. 4 maegashira Tochinonada out of thering for his sixth win, and Chiyotaikai also moved up to 6-3 bydriving out top maegashira Miyabiyama, who has been lackluster,with only three wins so far.
In a komusubi duel, Baruto held his ground at the face-off againstAsasekiryu, using his long arms to get a firm hold of theMongolian's belt and appearing to move into good position. ButAsasekiryu drove in from a low stance and, in a show of strength,lifted the Estonian off his feet and pounded him into the ground.
Neither wrestler is faring well.
Baruto has only two wins, and Asasekiryu is 3-6.(IHT/Asahi:September 23,2008)