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Sumo
Akebono has birthday win
Opening day Kyodo News Service
in summer sumoTOKYO, May 8 -- Komusubi Kaio forced out Chiyotaikai to claim his second ozeki scalp of the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament on Monday and keep the early pace with unbeaten grand champions Akebono and Takanohana. Yokozuna Akebono marked his 31st birthday with an easy win over Wakanoyama (0-2), shoving the No. 2 maegashira out of the ring at arm's length in a one-sided bout.
Fellow grand champion Takanohana had the measure of upset-minded Tosanoumi (1-1), backing the komusubi out of the ring in textbook fashion.
Kaio, who threw Dejima down to an opening-day loss, took advantage of Chiyotaikai's faulty start to muscle the off-balance ozeki up against and then over the straw ridge at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo.
Chiyotaikai (1-1) was the only major casualty of the second day of the 15-day tourney as the remaining ozeki and the two yokozuna came through with wins.
Ozeki Dejima (1-1) rebounded from Sunday's loss to Kaio, bulldozing out No. 2 maegashira Hamanoshima (0-2).
Takanonami, in danger of losing his ozeki ranking, wrestled third-ranked Oginishiki out of the ring for the second of eight wins he needs in this tourney to avoid demotion.
Sekiwake Miyabiyama (2-0) was not fooled by Kyokushuzan (0-2), shaking off the Mongolian trickster's attempted pull-down and then sending the No. 4 maegashira sprawling out of the ring from behind.
Also at the sekiwake rank, Tochiazuma (1-1) bounced back from an upset loss the previous day and rammed out Daizen (0-2).
In earlier bouts, komusubi Takatoriki was pulled to the ring's surface by Tamakasuga (2-0) for his second loss, already equaling the total number of losses he incurred while winning the spring tourney in March with a 13-2 record.
Mongolia's Kyokutenho (2-0), wrestling at No. 6 meagashira, twisted down Shikishima (1-1) as he danced away from the hard-charging No. 10 maegashira along the straw ridge
Results
TOKYO, May 8 (Kyodo) - Results of makuuchi division bouts on Monday, the second day of the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo (+ denotes juryo division wrestler):Won -- Technique -- Lost
Kotonowaka 2-0 -- okuridashi -- Aogiyama 0-2
Tochinohana 2-0 -- oshidashi -- Terao 1-1
Jumonji 1-1 -- oshidashi -- Asanosho 0-2
Tokitsuumi 1-1 -- hatakikomi -- Higonoumi 0-2
Hayateumi 2-0 -- yoritaoshi -- Takanowaka 0-2
Kinkaiyama 1-1 -- yoritaoshi -- Akinoshima 1-1
Kyokutenho 2-0 -- sukuinage -- Shikishima 1-1
Toki 2-0 -- hikiotoshi -- Chiyotenzan 0-2
Tochinonada 1-1 -- yorikiri -- Kotoryu 1-1
Asanowaka 1-1 -- hikiotoshi -- Kaiho 0-2
Tamakasuga 2-0 -- hatakikomi -- Takatoriki 0-2
Miyabiyama 2-0 -- okuridashi -- Kyokushuzan 0-2
Tochiazuma 1-1 -- oshidashi -- Daizen 0-2
Dejima 1-1 -- yorikiri -- Hamanoshima 0-2
Takanonami 2-0 -- yorikiri -- Oginishiki 1-1
Kaio 2-0 -- yorikiri -- Chiyotaikai 1-1
Akebono 2-0 -- oshidashi -- Wakanoyama 0-2
Takanohana 2-0 -- yorikiri -- Tosanoumi 1-1
Akebono bounces
Kyodo News Service
Takatoriki in
summer sumo opener
TOKYO, May 7 -- Yokozuna Akebono bounced komusubi Takatoriki into the ringside seats at Ryogoku Kokugikan on Sunday as most of the top wrestlers posted wins on the opening day of the 15-day Summer Grand Sumo Tournament. Yokozuna Takanohana backed out top maegashira Tochinonada for an easy win while sekiwake Miyabiyama kicked off his bid for ozeki with a shaky win over No. 2 maegashira Hamanoshima.
In Sunday's feature bout, Akebono, seeking to end a three-year winless drought, wasted little time against Takatoriki, the surprise winner of the spring tourney in March as a No. 14 maegashira.
The Hawaiian-born grand champion got all 230 kilograms behind his initial shove at the face off, knocking the 145-kg Takatoriki back to the edge of the ring.
Akebono followed up quickly and used another powerful shove to knock the komusubi onto his behind and into the ringside seats.
In other bouts, Takanohana, hoping for his first title in 20 months, wrapped up Tochinonada at the face-off and waltzed his opponent out of the ring.
Ozeki Chiyotaikai stunned Asanowaka with a solid right shoulder to the top maegashira's chin at the charge and then dropped his foe for an easy win. Takanonami, needing at least eight wins to hold onto sumo's second highest rank, backed out second-ranked Wakanoyama.
Ozeki Dejima was the biggest casualty of opening day, giving up belt control to komusubi Kaio and then getting twisted down to the ring's surface.
Miyabiyama, meanwhile, was also beaten at the face-off by No. 2 maegashira Hamanoshima, who secured control of the back of the 180-kg sekiwake's sash.
The savvy 22-year-old, however, waited patiently for Hamanoshima to make his move and then slapped his opponent down as the two struggled at the edge of the ring and fell out of bounds.
A second minor casualty was sekiwake Tochiazuma, who was pulled out of the ring by Oginishiki as the No. 3 maegashira escaped to the right along the straw ridge.
No. 6 maegashira from Mongolia Kyokutenho, hoping to rebound after a disastrous 4-11 in March, ran over Chiyotenzan, whose legs buckled as the two wrestlers struggled at mid-ring.
Mongolian compatriot and fourth-ranked Kyokushuzan, however, could not force out or throw down stubborn Tamakasuga and was shoved out after a seesaw battle.
Results
TOKYO, May 7 (Kyodo) - Results of makuuchi division bouts on Sunday, the first day of the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo:Won -- Techique -- Lost
Kotonowaka 1-0 -- yorikiri -- Jumonji 0-1
Terao 1-0 -- hatakikomi -- Aogiyama 0-1
Tochinohana 1-0 -- oshitaoshi -- Asanosho 0-1
Hayateumi 1-0 -- yorikiri -- Higonoumi 0-1
Shikishima 1-0 -- yorikiri -- Kinkaiyama 0-1
Toki 1-0 -- oshitaoshi -- Tokitsuumi 0-1
Akinoshima 1-0 -- oshidashi -- Takanowaka 0-1
Kyokutenho 1-0 -- abisetaoshi -- Chiyotenzan 0-1
Kotoryu 1-0 -- yorikiri -- Kaiho 0-1
Tamakasuga 1-0 -- oshidashi -- Kyokushuzan 0-1
Tosanoumi 1-0 -- yorikiri -- Daizen 0-1
Oginishiki 1-0 -- hikkake -- Tochiazuma 0-1
Miyabiyama 1-0 -- tsukiotoshi -- Hamanoshima 0-1
Takanonami 1-0 -- yorikiri -- Wakanoyama 0-1
Chiyotaikai 1-0 -- tsukitaoshi -- Asanowaka 0-1
Kaio 1-0 -- uwatenage -- Dejima 0-1
Takanohana 1-0 -- yorikiri -- Tochinonada 0-1
Akebono 1-0 -- tsukitaoshi -- Takatoriki 0-1
Results in Scoreboard
For more sumo information online, try:
Sumo Web
Da Kine Sumo E-zine
Ozumo
Kyodo News Service