Advertisement - Click to support our sponsors.
Sumo
Takanohama rolls,
Kyodo News Service
Akebono flopsTOKYO, May 9 - Takanohana put on a clinic Tuesday to preserve his unbeaten record, but yokozuna rival Akebono lost the plot badly and flopped to his first defeat on Day Three of the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament.
Top-ranked maegashira Asanowaka had little chance against Takanohana, who kept his center of gravity low as he cut off his opponent's ring space and forced him out to his second loss in the penultimate bout of the day at Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan.
Takanohana, chasing his 21st Emperor's Cup, then sat ringside to watch Akebono take on sekiwake Tochiazuma and left the arena in a nine-way tie for the lead at 3-0.
Akebono, winless since May 1997, never looked comfortable against Tochiazuma, who halted a five-bout losing skid against the Hawaiian-born giant with a clever victory, leaving both wrestlers at 2-1 in the 15-day meet.
Tochiazuma took advantage of Akebono's poor footwork by hitting hard at the face-off and then dragging down the yokozuna, who went into a roly-poly before coming to rest on the edge of the raised ring.
Sekiwake Miyabiyama, who needs double digits in wins to be almost certain of promotion to ozeki, had little trouble with winless Daizen, quickly bulldozing out the No. 3 maegashira to boost his record to 3-0.
Takanonami, who has to post eight wins to avoid demotion from ozeki after a losing record at the spring tourney in Osaka, cranked up the power to force out komusubi Tosanoumi (1-2) and preserve his unbeaten record.
Chiyotaikai, meanwhile, sidestepped and slapped down No. 1 maegashira Tochinonada (1-2) to improve to 2-1, but fellow ozeki Dejima slipped to 1-2 after being thrown down by third-ranked Oginishiki (2-1) in a fiercely contested bout.
Komusubi Takatoriki, the surprise title winner in March, finally got off the mark by outfoxing winless Wakanoyama at the charge and slapping down the No. 2 maegashira to notch his first victory.
It was a bad day at the office for the top makuuchi division's two Mongolians as No. 4 maegashira Kyokushuzan (0-3) and sixth-ranked Kyokutenho (2-1) both hit the dirt in lopsided bouts.
Results of main bouts on 3rd day of summer sumo tourney
TOKYO, May 9 (Kyodo) - Results of makuuchi division bouts on Tuesday, the third day of the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo (+ denotes juryo division wrestler):
Won Technique Lost
Kotonowaka 3-0 oshidashi +Sentoryu 1-2
Jumonji 2-1 yorikiri +Oikari 0-3
Tochinohana 3-0 oshidashi Higonoumi 0-3
Hayateumi 3-0 yorikiri Terao 1-2
Aogiyama 1-2 hikiotoshi Kinkaiyama 1-2
Shikishima 2-1 oshidashi Asanosho 0-3
Toki 3-0 hikiotoshi Kyokutenho 2-1
Kotoryu 2-1 susoharai Tokitsuumi 1-2
Takanowaka 1-2 tsukidashi Kaiho 0-3
Tamakasuga 3-0 sukuinage Akinoshima 1-2
Chiyotenzan 1-2 yorikiri Kyokushuzan 0-3
Kaio 3-0 oshidashi Hamanoshima 0-3
Takatoriki 1-2 hatakikomi Wakanoyama 0-3
Miyabiyama 3-0 oshidashi Daizen 0-3
Chiyotaikai 2-1 tsukiotoshi Tochinonada 1-2
Oginishiki 2-1 uwatenage Dejima 1-2
Takanonami 3-0 yorikiri Tosanoumi 1-2
Takanohana 3-0 yorikiri Asanowaka 1-2
Tochiazuma 2-1 tsukiotoshi Akebono 2-1
Wednesday's bouts
Kotonowaka 10 - 9 Terao
Tochinohana 0 - 0 Aogiyama
Hayateumi 0 - 0 Jumonji
Asanosho 6 - 4 Higonoumi
Toki 4 - 1 Shikishima
Kinkaiyama 0 - 3 Tokitsuumi
Kyokutenho 1 - 2 Takanowaka
Akinoshima 1 - 3 Chiyotenzan
Kyokushuzan 4 - 2 Kaiho
Kotoryu 1 - 4 Tamakasuga
Oginishiki 3 - 11 Takatoriki
Miyabiyama 2 - 4 Kaio
Wakanoyama 0 - 1 Tochiazuma
Daizen 1 - 9 Takanonami
Chiyotaikai 6 - 3 Tosanoumi
Dejima 3 - 1 Asanowaka
Akebono 5 - 3 Tochinonada
Hamanoshima 1 - 8 Takanohana
Main bouts for 4th day of Summer Sumo
TOKYO, May 9 (Kyodo) - Makuuchi division bouts for Wednesday, the fourth day of the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo:Kotonowaka 10 - 9 Terao
Tochinohana 0 - 0 Aogiyama
Hayateumi 0 - 0 Jumonji
Asanosho 6 - 4 Higonoumi
Toki 4 - 1 Shikishima
Kinkaiyama 0 - 3 Tokitsuumi
Kyokutenho 1 - 2 Takanowaka
Akinoshima 1 - 3 Chiyotenzan
Kyokushuzan 4 - 2 Kaiho
Kotoryu 1 - 4 Tamakasuga
Oginishiki 3 - 11 Takatoriki
Miyabiyama 2 - 4 Kaio
Wakanoyama 0 - 1 Tochiazuma
Daizen 1 - 9 Takanonami
Chiyotaikai 6 - 3 Tosanoumi
Dejima 3 - 1 Asanowaka
Akebono 5 - 3 Tochinonada
Hamanoshima 1 - 8 Takanohana
Results of Main Sumo Bouts
Associated Press
TOKYO - Results of main bouts Tuesday, the third day of the 15-day Summer Grand Sumo Tournament at Ryogoku Kokugikan Sumo Arena:
Won - Lost
Kotonowaka (3-0) Sentoryu (juryo) (1-2)
Jumonji (2-1) Oikari (juryo) (0-3)
Tochinohana (3-0) Higonoumi (0-3)
Hayateumi (3-0) Terao (1-2)
Aogiyama (1-2) Kinkaiyama (1-2)
Shikishima (2-1) Asanosho (0-3)
Toki (3-0) Kyokutenho (2-1)
Kotoryu (2-1) Tokitsuumi (1-2)
Takanowaka (1-2) Kaiho (0-3)
Tamakasuga (3-0) Akinoshima (1-2)
Chiyotenzan (1-2) Kyokushuzan (0-3)
Kaio (3-0) Hamanoshima (0-3)
Takatoriki (2-1) Wakanoyama (0-3)
Miyabiyama (3-0) Daizen (0-3)
Chiyotaikai (2-1) Tochinonada (1-2)
Oginishiki (2-1) Dejima (1-2)
Takanonami (3-0) Tosanoumi (1-2)
Takanohana (3-0) Asanowaka (1-2)
Tochiazuma (2-1) Akebono (2-1)
Juryo Division
Tamanonada (3-0) Hoshitango (1-2)
Junior Divisions:
Makushita
Haruyama Hoshiandesu (0-2)
Wakaazuma (1-1) Ushiomaru
Kuniazuma (2-0) Kanechika
Kyokutenzan (1-1) Wakayuki
Sandanme
Kantoryu Ryuo (1-1)
Jonidan
Fudoyama (2-0) Komanosho
Ryukizan (2-0) Hakuba (1-1)
Kitakasuga (2-0) Minanosato
Jonokuchi
Ryuo (1-1) Kaiseiya(Junior division wrestlers have only seven bouts during the tournament. Records of foreign wrestlers' opponents were not available.)
Wednesday's main bouts:
Kotonowaka Terao
Tochinohana Aogiyama
Hayateumi Jumonji
Asanosho Higonoumi
Toki Shikishima
Kinkaiyama Tokitsuumi
Kyokutenho Takanowaka
Akinoshima Chiyotenzan
Kyokushuzan Kaiho
Kotoryu Tamakasuga
Oginishiki Takatoriki
Miyabiyama Kaio
Wakanoyama Tochiazuma
Daizen Takanonami
Chiyotaikai Tosanoumi
Dejima Asanowaka
Akebono Tochinonada
Hamanoshima Takanohana
Results in Scoreboard
For more sumo information online, try:
Sumo Web
Da Kine Sumo E-zine
Ozumo
Kyodo News Service