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Akebono on top; Taka in
hot pursuit at New Year

TOKYO, Jan. 15 (Kyodo) - Yokozuna Akebono kept his latest comeback bid on track Saturday as he shoved out komusubi Tosanoumi to retain sole possession of the lead with a perfect 7-0 record at the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament.

Breathing down his neck, however, is rival grand champion Takanohana, who looked back to his devastating best against No. 3 maegashira Kotonishiki, recording his sixth win out of seven in the 15-day meet at Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan.

Akebono did just enough against an out-of-sorts Tosanoumi (2-5), knocking his smaller opponent back to the straw bails and catapulting him into the second row of ringside cushions a split second before flopping off the raised ring himself as he lost his balance.

Meanwhile, Kotonishiki (1-6) buzzed furiously like an insect caught in a Venus flytrap as Takanohana, chasing his 21st Emperor's Cup, quickly secured a strong two-handed belt grip after getting off a strong charge.

Treating the bout almost like a sparring session, Takanohana slowly crushed Kotonishiki's resistance before forcing him out of the ring in textbook style.

Sekiwake Musoyama also boosted his record to 6-1 as he bulldozed out No. 1 maegashira Kotoryu (2-5), while 13th-ranked Kyokutenho of Mongolia chalked up his sixth win by slapping down No. 10 maegashira Takatoriki, who dropped to 1-6.

Meanwhile, sekiwake Takanonami, who needs 10 wins to regain the ozeki rank he lost after a second straight losing record at the Kyushu tourney last November, was bundled out by No. 2 maegashira Kotonowaka (4-3) and slipped to 5-2.

It was a good day at the office for the makuuchi division's two ozeki, however.

Chiyotaikai trundled to his fourth victory of the tournament against the eccentric - and winless - Asanowaka, still looking out of his depth as a No. 2 maegashira, while Dejima easily shoved out ozeki wannabe Kaio, leaving both wrestlers at 4-3.

Sixth-ranked maegashira Kyokushuzan continued to struggle, however, as the pride of Ulan Bator lost a slapfest against No. 10 maegashira Otsukasa (2-5) and dropped to a precarious 1-6.

Terao, fighting as a No. 7 maegashira, proved he is not too old to pick up new tricks as he defeated fifth-ranked Hamanoshima (2-5) by the same rare "sotokomata" technique as Kyokushuzan used to defeat the 36-year-old veteran on Wednesday.

Terao (4-3) locked onto the belt with his right hand while lifting up his opponent's thigh with his left and lifted him out of the ring - a maneuver not seen in the makuuchi division in 10 years before the current tourney.

Results of 7th-day bouts at
New Year Grand Sumo
Tournament

TOKYO, Jan. 15 (Kyodo) - Results of makuuchi division bouts Saturday, the seventh day of the 15-day New Year Grand Sumo Tournament at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo (+ denotes juryo division wrestler):

Won Technique Lost

+Ohinode 2-5 yoritaoshi Yotsukasa 2-5
Tokitsuumi 5-2 yorikiri Chiyotenzan 4-3
Kyokutenho 6-1 hatakikomi Takatoriki 1-6
Kinkaiyama 4-3 yorikiri Minatofuji 3-4
Oikari 5-2 oshidashi Kaiho 3-4
Takanowaka 5-2 hatakikomi Asanosho 4-3
Aogiyama 2-5 oshidashi Tamakasuga 2-5
Otsukasa 2-5 yorikiri Kyokushuzan 1-6
Shikishima 4-3 yorikiri Wakanoyama 4-3
Terao 4-3 sotokomata Hamanoshima 2-5
Tochinonada 5-2 uwatenage Akinoshima 4-3
Miyabiyama 5-2 default Higonoumi 2-5
Tochiazuma 4-3 sukuinage Toki 1-6
Kotonowaka 4-3 yorikiri Takanonami 5-2
Musoyama 6-1 oshidashi Kotoryu 2-5
Chiyotaikai 4-3 oshidashi Asanowaka 0-7
Dejima 4-3 oshidashi Kaio 4-3
Akebono 7-0 oshidashi Tosanoumi 2-5
Takanohana 6-1 yorikiri Kotonishiki 1-6

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Sunday's bouts

Takatoriki 0 - 0 Oikari
Kinkaiyama 1 - 0 Otsukasa
Kaiho 2 - 2 Ohinode
Takanowaka 0 - 1 Minatofuji
Kyokutenho 5 - 1 Asanosho
Terao 1 - 1 Chiyotenzan
Tokitsuumi 2 - 1 Wakanoyama
Kyokushuzan 3 - 7 Aogiyama
Hamanoshima 2 - 3 Tamakasuga
Shikishima 2 - 4 Akinoshima
Kotonishiki 4 - 3 Asanowaka
Tosanoumi 0 - 1 Toki
Kotonowaka 0 - 2 Miyabiyama
Kotoryu 0 - 3 Takanonami
Dejima 4 - 1 Tochinonada
Tochiazuma 6 - 3 Chiyotaikai
Takanohana 23 - 7 Musoyama
Kaio 6 - 19 Akebono

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Akebono maintains lead

TOKYO (AP) - Hawaii native Akebono shoved a lower-ranked wrestler out of the ring Saturday to maintain the lead and a perfect record in the seventh day of the 15-day New Year Grand Sumo tournament at at Tokyo's Kokugikan Sumo Arena.

The yokozuna (grand champion), otherwise known as Chad Rowan, charged at Tosanoumi (2-5), and overwhelmed the komusubi (junior champion second class) with his huge body mass, sending him flying from the ring.

Akebono, however, still can't rest easy halfway through the first tournament of the new millennium. Fellow yokozuna Takanohana followed close behind the Hawaiian, toppling maegashira (senior wrestler) Kotonishiki for his sixth win. Kotonishiki was left at 1-6.

Sekiwake (junior champion) Musoyama, meanwhile, bolstered his record to 6-1 as the he thrust out the leading maegashira Kotoryu, now at 2-5.

In the 26-member juryo division, just below the senior makuuchi division, the ninth-ranked Sentoryu, or Henry Armstrong Miller of the United States, defeated Daishi (2-5) to score his second win of the season.

Argentina's Hoshitango, or Imach Marcelo Salomon, ranked number three in the juryo division, lost against Kitakachidoki (4-3), marking his fifth loss this season.

In the top junior division of makushita, 12th-ranked Asahoyu (3-1), or Dolgorsvren Dagvadrj of Mongolia, won against Torafusuyama.

51st ranked wrestler Kasugaoh (2-2) from South Korea, also known as Kim Son-tek, lost against Toshinyama.

In sandanme, No. 23-ranked Kyokutenzan, or Mongolian Enkhbat Batmunkha, defeated Daikiyama to bring his score up 3-1.

The 37th-ranked Azumaoh, or Yasuto Morita of Brazil, lost against Kiyonosho, for his fourth straight loss of the tournament.

No. 50-ranked Kaihakusan (1-3) of South Korea, known also as Baeg Yun-gi, lost against Subaru.

In jonokuchi, the lowest junior division, No. 32-ranked wrestler Kitakasuga (3-1), or Tsolmonbayar Munkhbat of Mongolia, beat Fukutenko.

Junior division wrestlers have only seven bouts during the tournament.

Results of main sumo bouts

TOKYO (AP) - Results of main bouts Saturday, the seventh day of the 15-day New Year Grand Sumo Tournament at Ryogoku Kokugikan Sumo Arena:

Winners Losers

Ohinode (2-5) Yotsukasa (2-5)
Tokitsuumi (5-2) Chiyotenzan (4-3)
Kyokutenho (6-1) Takatoriki (1-6)
Kinkaiyama (4-3) Minatofuji (3-4)
Oikari (5-2) Kaiho (3-4)
Takanowaka (5-2) Asanosho (4-3)
Aogiyama (2-5) Tamakasuga (2-5)
Otsukasa (2-5) Kyokushuzan (1-6)
Shikishima (4-3) Wakanoyama (4-3)
Terao (4-3) Hamanoshima (2-5)
Tochinonada (5-2) Akinoshima (4-3)
Miyabiyama (5-2) Higonoumi (2-5)
Tochiazuma (4-3) Toki (1-6)
Kotonowaka (4-3) Takanonami (5-2)
Musoyama (6-1) Kotoryu (2-5)
Chiyotaikai (4-3) Asanowaka (0-7)
Dejima (4-3) Kaio (4-3)
Akebono (7-0) Tosanoumi (2-5)
Takanohana (6-1) Kotonishiki (1-6)

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Juryo Division

Daishi (2-5) Sentoryu (2-5)
Kitakachidoki (4-3) Hoshitango (2-5)

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Junior Divisions:

Makushita

Kyokutenzan (3-1) Daikiyama
Asashoyu (3-1) Torafusuyama

Sandanme

Subaru Kaihakusan (1-3)
Kiyonosho Azumaoh (0-4)
Toshinyama Kasugaoh (2-2)

Jonidan

Kitakasuga (3-1) Fukutenko

(Junior division wrestlers have only seven bouts during the tournament. Records of foreign wrestlers' opponents were not available.)

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Sunday's main bouts:

Takatoriki Oikari
Kinkaiyama Otsukasa
Kaiho Ohinode
Takanowaka Minatofuji
Kyokutenho Asanosho
Terao Chiyotenzan
Tokitsuumi Wakanoyama
Kyokushuzan Aogiyama
Hamanoshima Tamakasuga
Shikishima Akinoshima
Kotonishiki Asanowaka
Tosanoumi Toki
Kotonowaka Miyabiyama
Kotoryu Takanonami
Dejima Tochinonada
Tochiazuma Chiyotaikai
Takanohana Musoyama
Kaio Akebono

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Higonoumi pulls out
with injury

TOKYO, Jan. 15 (Kyodo) - Third-ranked maegashira Higonoumi has withdrawn from the ongoing New Year Grand Sumo Tournament after injuring his left knee, officials of the wrestler's Mihogaseki stable said Saturday.

Higonoumi suffered torn muscle tissue after he was blown out by sekiwake Kaio on Friday, leaving him with a 2-4 record in the 15-day tourney at Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan.

Doctors have told the 30-year-old native of Gunma Prefecture, sidelined for the first time since the 1995 Nagoya tournament, that his injury will take at least two months to fully heal.

Komusubi Miyabiyama will receive a walkover victory Saturday.

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