AP Photo/Kyodo
New grand champion Wakanohana, foreground, is tumbled
by Dejima Friday, July 10, 1998, 6th day of the 15-day Nagoya
Grand Sumo Tournament in Nagoya, central Japan.
Wakanohana suffered his first defeat.

Wakanohana tumbles
to 1st defeat at
Nagoya sumo

Takanohana, Musashimaru still lead

NAGOYA, July 10 (Kyodo) -- Wakanohana suffered his first defeat as a grand champion Friday while yokozuna Takanohana and ozeki Musashimaru posted easy victories to remain in the lead six days into the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament.

Fighting in the day's final bout at Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium, Wakanohana absorbed a furious charge at the face-off by a rejuvenated No. 4 maegashira Dejima, who had missed nearly half a year of action until the May meet due to injury.

When the newly promoted yokozuna attempted a counterattack, however, Dejima jumped out of the way and sent a stunned Wakanohana tumbling to the dirt surface for his first loss of the 15-day tournament.

At 5-1, both wrestlers are now tied for second place along with six others.

Takanohana, meanwhile, improved to a perfect 6-0 as he came in low at the initial charge and managed to get both hands on the belt of nemesis Shikishima before calmly lifting the No. 3 maegashira out over the straw ridge.

It was the grand champion's first win in three bouts against the Tatsutagawa stable grappler -- an indication that he has returned to form after a mediocre summer basho and a bout with bronchitis that forced him to withdraw from the spring tourney in March.

Keeping pace, the undefeated Musashimaru showed characteristic poise as he fought off a determined Gojoro and pushed the winless third-ranked maegashira to the edge where he stepped out of the ring with his right foot.

Yokozuna Akebono used his patented arm thrusts to dispose of overmatched No. 4 maegashira Tochinowaka in short order to maintain a share of second place at 5-1.

Ozeki Takanonami got a hold of Ganyu's belt, spun the fifth-ranked maegashira around in an attempted arm throw and then gently shoved him out to improve to 5-1.

In earlier bouts, No. 11 maegashira Kyokushuzan improved to 3-3 when he got a hand on the back of Kaiho and yanked the 14th-ranked maegashira down after a lengthy stand off.

No. 12 maegashira Asanosho, 4-2, went for the throat of No. 15 maegashira Kyokutenho with several arm thrusts and then casually sent the Mongolian grappler to his fourth loss with a slap on the back.

Injured Akinoshima withdraws
from Nagoya tournament

NAGOYA, July 10 (Kyodo) -- Sekiwake Akinoshima damaged a ligament in his right thigh in Friday's bout against komusubi Kaio and withdrew from the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament, his stable master Futagoyama said.

Akinoshima, who had a 3-3 record after losing to Kaio on the sixth day of the 15-day meet at Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium, will return to Tokyo on Saturday to begin a recovery that is expected to take two months.

It is the first time since the autumn tourney in 1995 that Akinoshima has been forced to withdraw.

Akinoshima's scheduled opponent for Saturday, top maegashira Oginishiki, will be awarded a win by default.

"Naturally, there is no way that he can continue to compete. You normally can't tell when he's in some pain, but this time he looked like he was in a lot of pain," Futagoyama said.

On Tuesday, komusubi Kotonishiki pulled out from the Nagoya basho after pulling a muscle in his right thigh in a previous day's bout against yokozuna Takanohana.

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