Akebono loss leaves eight
wrestlers tied for first

NAGOYA, Japan (AP) -- Hawaiian-born yokozuna (grand champion) Akebono suffered his first defeat Saturday -- leaving eight wrestlers tied for the Nagoya Grand Sumo tournament title at 6-1.

Sekiwake (junior champion) Dejima immediately pushed Akebono, or Chad Rowan, to the edge of the ring. When Akebono resisted, Dejima threw him in the other direction, sending the yokozuna tumbling near the center of the ring. Dejima kept his own record at 6-1 with the win.

The two other yokozunas competing in the 15-day tournament -- Musashimaru, or Fiamalu Penitani from Hawaii, and Takanohana -- also have just one loss.

In the bout between Musashimaru and maegashira (senior wrestler) No. 2 Toki, both wrestlers held off eachother's thrusts but Musashimaru got his arms around Toki (0-7) and drove him out.

Takanohana and No. 3 maegashira Higonoumi circled the ring, each trying to get a better hold on the other, but Takanohana eventually drove Higonoumi (1-6) out.

Ozeki (champion) Chiyotaikai pushed back No. 1 maegashira Kotonishiki with a hand thrust under his chin and toppled him. Chiyotaikai kept his record at 6-1, while Kotonishiki fell to 3-4.

Takanonami, another ozeki, kept his record at 6-1 as well, when he flipped over Tochiazuma (4-3), sending the sekiwake rolling into the dirt.

Lower-ranked No. 13 maegashira Wakanoyama -- the only other wrestler besides Akebono who had been without a loss -- suffered his first defeat, falling to 6-1, when No. 10 maegashira Kotonowaka clutched his loincloth, shook him and then drove him out of the ring.

Kotonowaka also now stands at 6-1.

In other major bouts, maegashira No. 13 Tokitsuumi (5-2) drove out maegashira No. 10 Kyokutenho (4-3), or Mongolian Tsevegnyam Nyamjav.

No. 4 maegashira Minatofuji (4-3) got a grip on No. 7 maegashira Kyokushuzan, or Mongolian Batbayar Davaa, to hand him his fourth loss to three wins.

In juryo division, just below the senior makuuchi division, No. 11-ranked Sentoryu, or American Henry Armstrong Miller, fell to 2-5 after being driven out by No. 4-ranked Dewaarashi (4-3).

No. 11-ranked Hoshitango, or Argentine Imach Marcelo Salomon, slapped down No. 9-ranked Towanoyama (3-4) to improve to 4-3.

In makushita, the top junior division, No. 11-ranked Wakaazuma, or Yoshinobu Kuroda from Brazil, suffered his first loss after three wins. He was pushed out by No. 13-ranked Kato.

No. 53-ranked Kuniazuma, or Brazilian Vander Ramos, kept his perfect 4-0 record with a victory over No. 57-ranked Hidanodake.

In sandanme, the second-highest junior division, No. 53-ranked Hokutowaka pushed out No. 51-ranked Ryuo, or Wang Yu from Shaghai, China, who fell to 2-2. And No. 56-ranked Shotenzan toppled down No. 54-ranked Azumaoh, or Brazilian Yasuto Morita, now at 2-2.

In jonidan, the third-highest junior division, No. 147-ranked Daitenryu shoved out No. 146-ranked Kotonomori (2-2), or Brazilian Mario Fuchiue.

In jonokuchi, the lowest junior division, No. 48-ranked Ryukizan, or South Korean Kim Soo-young, pushed out No. 49-ranked Kitatani. Ryukizan improves to 2-2.

Wrestlers in junior divisions have only seven bouts during the 15-day tournament.

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Dejima dumps Akebono,
8 share lead in Nagoya sumo

NAGOYA, July 10 (Kyodo) -- Sekiwake Dejima threw yokozuna Akebono over with a well-timed floating throw Saturday, creating an eight-way tie for the lead as the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament heads into its second week.

Grand champions Takanohana and Musashimaru, as well as ozeki Takanonami and Chiyotaikai, won convincingly on the seventh day of the 15-day basho at Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium to earn shares of the lead with Dejima and Akebono with six wins against one loss.

At the lower end of the makuuchi division, Dejima's mate at the Musashigawa stable, No. 13 maegashira Wakanoyama, was saddled with his first loss of the tourney by 10th-ranked Kotonowaka, who is also 6-1.

In the day's featured final bout, Dejima continued his mastery of Akebono, getting underneath the 204-centimeter tall yokozuna at the initial charge and driving him back against the bales.

With Akebono leaning heavily on the sekiwake to avoid going out, Dejima uncorked an arm throw from the inside position for his fifth straight win against the grand champion.

Earlier, Takanohana, the winner in Nagoya the previous four years, muscled out No. 3 maegashira Higonoumi, 1-6, for an easy win, while Musashimaru bumped out winless Toki after the No. 2 maegashira had him pinned briefly against the edge of the ring with some sharp slaps and thrusts.

At sumo's second-highest rank of ozeki, Chiyotaikai threw down Kotonishiki, 3-4, with a single hand clutching at the top maegashira's throat for his sixth win, while Takanonami kept pace by flipping Tochiazuma, 4-3, onto his back with a twist of the sekiwake's shoulders.

Kotonowaka, on the rebound after a disastrous 2-13 tourney in May, walked out Wakanoyama to hang a first loss on the No. 13 maegashira, who is making his return to the elite division after five years in the lower ranks.

Also, listless Kaio was backed out of the ring by komusubi Tosanoumi, 4-3, for his fifth loss as his dreams of winning promotion to ozeki have now turned into a desperate effort to hang onto his sekiwake rank.

Mongolia's pair of makuuchi wrestlers were on the wrong end of frontal force-outs as seventh-ranked Kyokushuzan, 3-4, was bulldozed out by No. 4 Minatofuji, 4-3, and No. 10 Kyokutenho, 4-3, was backed out by 13th-ranked Tokitsuumi, 5-2.

7th-day results in Nagoya sumo tourney

NAGOYA, July 10 (Kyodo) -- Makuuchi division results Saturday, the seventh day of the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament at Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium:

Won -- Technique -- Lost
Ganyu 4-3 -- yorikiri -- Daizen 0-7
Terao 4-3 -- okuridashi -- Kotoryu 4-3
Wakanojo 2-5 -- yorikiri -- Ohinode 3-4
Tokitsuumi 5-2 -- yorikiri -- Kyokutenho 4-3
Kotonowaka 6-1 -- yorikiri -- Wakanoyama 6-1
Yotsukasa 3-4 -- yorikiri -- Hamanoshima 2-5
Musoyama 5-2 -- yorikiri -- Tochinowaka 2-5
Kaiho 4-3 -- yoritaoshi -- Tamakasuga 3-4
Aogiyama 4-3 -- oshidashi -- Asanosho 3-4
Minatofuji 4-3 -- yorikiri -- Kyokushuzan 3-4
Miyabiyama 3-4 -- yorikiri -- Shikishima 4-3
Wakanosato 1-6 -- yorikiri -- Takatoriki 1-6
Akinoshima 3-4 -- shitatenage -- Chiyotenzan 0-7
Tosanoumi 4-3 -- yorikiri -- Kaio 2-5
Chiyotaikai 6-1 -- oshitaoshi -- Kotonishiki 3-4
Takanonami 6-1 -- makiotoshi -- Tochiazuma 4-3
Takanohana 6-1 -- yorikiri -- Higonoumi 1-6
Musashimaru 6-1 -- yorikiri -- Toki 0-7
Dejima 6-1 -- sukuinage -- Akebono 6-1

Sunday's bouts

Tokitsuumi 2 - 1 Kotoryu
Wakanojo 1 - 0 Daizen
Ohinode 1 - 0 Terao
Ganyu 1 - 2 Kyokutenho
Kyokushuzan 0 - 0 Yotsukasa
Wakanoyama 0 - 0 Shikishima
Musoyama 14 - 10 Kotonowaka
Tochinowaka 1 - 2 Tamakasuga
Hamanoshima 3 - 1 Kaiho
Asanosho 3 - 6 Minatofuji
Takatoriki 8 - 3 Aogiyama
Miyabiyama 0 - 2 Akinoshima
Tosanoumi 9 - 6 Kotonishiki
Higonoumi 0 - 1 Chiyotenzan
Wakanosato 1 - 2 Dejima
Takanonami 2 - 0 Toki
Akebono 4 - 3 Tochiazuma
Kaio 8 - 21 Takanohana
Chiyotaikai 3 - 4 Musashimaru

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Results in Scoreboard

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