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Akebono flop puts
Musoyama in line for title

TOKYO, Jan. 22 (Kyodo) - Yokozuna Akebono choked under pressure Saturday, allowing sekiwake Musoyama to snatch the lead with one day left at the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament thanks to a demolition job on rank-and-filer Kyokutenho.

Akebono's umpteenth comeback attempt hit another snag at Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan as ozeki Chiyotaikai took advantage of the grand champion's lack of mobility to post his ninth victory of the 15-day meet and leave the Hawaiian skyscraper with an 11-3 record.

Looking as cumbersome as compatriot Konishiki, the retired former ozeki, Akebono had no answer when Chiyotaikai cleverly slipped to the left to change his angle of attack and finished off the job with a final shove to the chest of the deflated yokozuna.

In contrast, Musoyama bullied Mongolian Kyokutenho (10-4), toying with the 13th-ranked maegashira like a pit-bull chewing on an old sneaker before crunching him into the ringside cushions to boost his record to 12-2.

Musoyama, chasing his first-ever Emperor's Cup, will be fancied to secure a sixth straight title for his Musashigawa stable as he finishes against out-of-sorts sekiwake Kaio on Sunday, while Akebono goes up against fellow grand champion Takanohana.

Still in with a mathematical chance of winning his 21st career championship, Takanohana clinically disposed of ozeki Dejima (8-6) to improve to 11-3.

Dejima hit hard at the face-off, but Takanohana proved an immovable object and quickly swiveled his smaller opponent around, got a vice-like grip on the belt and neatly lifted him over the straw bails for a textbook win.

Tied for the overnight lead with Musoyama and Akebono, Miyabiyama failed to record his 12th win as he was upset by No. 12 maegashira Takanowaka, who flattened the up-and-coming komusubi to the dirt surface to lift his record to 10-4.

Meanwhile, sekiwake Takanonami, who needs 10 wins to regain the ozeki rank he lost after a second straight losing record in Kyushu last November, dragged down Kaio (7-7) to move to 9-5, with a tough match against Chiyotaikai coming up on Sunday.

Elsewhere, No. 6 maegashira Kyokushuzan of Mongolia took 2 minutes, 49 seconds to come up with a throw to beat second-ranked Kotonowaka (6-8) and even his record to 7-7.

Results of 14th-day bouts at New Year Grand Sumo Tournament

TOKYO, Jan. 22 (Kyodo) - Results of makuuchi division bouts Saturday, the 14th day of the 15-day New Year Grand Sumo Tournament at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo (+ denotes juryo division):

Won Technique Lost

+Hayateumi 11-3 yoritaoshi Oikari 8-6
Takatoriki 6-8 hatakikomi Kinkaiyama 6-8
+Daizen 9-5 tsukiotoshi Otsukasa 5-9
Minatofuji 7-7 shitatedashinage Chiyotenzan 9-5
Asanosho 7-7 hatakikomi Ohinode 4-10
Wakanoyama 8-6 yoritaoshi Kaiho 5-9
Shikishima 6-8 kotenage Tokitsuumi 9-5
Tamakasuga 7-7 hatakikomi Kotonishiki 3-11
Kyokushuzan 7-7 uwatenage Kotonowaka 6-8
Terao 5-9 hatakikomi Asanowaka 2-12
Hamanoshima 5-9 sukuinage Toki 3-11
Kotoryu 5-9 default Aogiyama 4-10
Tosanoumi 7-7 oshidashi Akinoshima 6-8
Takanowaka 10-4 yoritaoshi Miyabiyama 11-3
Takanonami 9-5 katasukashi Kaio 7-7
Musoyama 12-2 oshidashi Kyokutenho 10-4
Tochiazuma 8-6 hatakikomi Tochinonada 6-8
Takanohana 11-3 yorikiri Dejima 8-6
Chiyotaikai 9-5 oshidashi Akebono 11-3

Main bouts for final day of New Year Grand Sumo Tournament

TOKYO, Jan. 22 (Kyodo) - Makuuchi division bouts for Sunday, the final day of the 15-day New Year Grand Sumo Tournament at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo (+denotes juryo division):

+Oginishiki x - x Otsukasa
Ohinode 0 - 1 Minatofuji
Tamakasuga 0 - 0 Oikari
Kinkaiyama 0 - 0 Wakanoyama
Kyokushuzan 0 - 0 Takanowaka
Takatoriki 3 - 2 Shikishima
Kotonishiki 0 - 1 Kaiho
Hamanoshima 7 - 7 Asanowaka
Kotonowaka 14 - 12 Akinoshima
Asanosho 4 - 6 Kotoryu
Toki 3 - 3 Terao
Tokitsuumi 0 - 2 Miyabiyama
Tosanoumi 3 - 2 Tochinonada
Chiyotenzan 0 - 3 Takanonami
Kyokutenho 0 - 0 Tochiazuma
Kaio 16 - 12 Musoyama
Dejima 3 - 5 Chiyotaikai
Takanohana 19 - 19 Akebono

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Akebono loses lead
to Musoyama

TOKYO (AP) - Hawaiian-born yokozuna (grand champion) Akebono was bulldozed from the ring by ozeki (champion) Chiyotaikai Saturday to lose his lead on the 14th day of the 15-day New Year Grand Sumo tournament.

Chiyotaikai grabbed his ninth win against five losses by stepping to the side immediately after the face-off and broadsiding Akebono, or Chad Rowan, who apparently had lost his balance. That left the yokozuna with 11 wins and three losses.

Akebono is tied with yokozuna Takanohana and komusubi (junior champion second class) Miyabiyama for second place.

Sekiwake (junior champion) Musoyama grabbed the sole lead at 12-2 by pushing out No. 13 maegashira Kyokutenho from the ring.

In other major bouts, Takanohana was thrust around by ozeki (champion) Dejima after the face-off, but recovered his stance and twisted Dejima out of the ring. That left Dejima with 8-6.

Sekiwake Tochiazuma stepped aside No. 4 maegashira Tochinonada's thrust and slapped him down for his eighth victory against six losses. Tochinonada is 6-8.

Sekiwake Takanonami grabbed fellow-sekiwake Kaio's head and twisted him down to the floor, earning his ninth victory against five losses. Kaio has won seven bouts and lost as many.

No. 12 maegashira Takanowaka rose to 10-4 by hoisting up Miyabiyama and finally casting him from the ring after several initially fruitless attempts, leaving Miyabiyama at 11-3. Miyabiyama had been tied for the lead a day earlier.

Komusubi Tosanoumi pushed No. 4 Akinoshima from the ring for his seventh victory against as many losses. Akinoshima is 6-8.

No. 7 maegashira Terao slapped down No. 2 maegashira Asanowaka, earning his fifth victory against nine defeats. The loser stands at 2-12.

In the 26-member juryo division, just below the senior makuuchi division, No. 4-ranked Dewaarashi grabbed the belt of No. 9-ranked Sentoryu, or American Henry Armstrong Miller, and forced him from the ring. Dewaarashi and Sentoryu are both 6-8.

No. 8-ranked Jumonji used the same technique against No. 3-ranked Hoshitango, or Argentine Imach Marcelo Salomon, to earn his seventh win against seven losses. Hoshitango stands at five victories against nine defeats.

In makushita, the top junior division, No. 15-ranked Kasugaoh, or South Korean Kim Son-tek, slapped down No. 47-ranked Tsuchihashi for his third victory against four losses.

In sandanme, the second-highest junior division, No. 41-ranked Kainoyama grabbed the belt of No. 37-ranked Azumaoh, or Brazilian Yasuto Morita, and forced him from the ring, leaving the Brazilian with two wins and five losses.

In jonokuchi, the lowest junior division, No. 4-ranked Takakobayashi wrapped his arm around that of No. 3-ranked Daibanjaku, or Mongolian Batsukh Khaidavmunkh, before throwing him, leaving the loser with three wins against four losses.

Junior division wrestlers have only seven bouts during the tournament.

Results of main sumo bouts

TOKYO (AP) - Results of main bouts Saturday, the 14th day of the 15-day New Year Grand Sumo Tournament at Ryogoku Kokugikan Sumo Arena:

Winners Losers

Hayateumi (Juryo) (11-3) Oikari (8-6)
Takatoriki (6-8) Kinkaiyama (6-8)
Daizen (Juryo) (9-5) Otsukasa (5-9)
Minatofuji (7-7) Chiyotenzan (9-5)
Asanosho (7-7) Ohinode (4-10)
Wakanoyama (8-6) Kaiho (5-9)
Shikishima (6-8) Tokitsuumi (9-5)
Tamakasuga (7-7) Kotonishiki (3-11)
Kyokushuzan (7-7) Kotonowaka (6-8)
Terao (5-9) Asanowaka (2-12)
Hamanoshima (5-9) Toki (3-11)
Kotoryu (5-9) Aogiyama (4-10)
Tosanoumi (7-7) Akinoshima (6-8)
Takanowaka (10-4) Miyabiyama (11-3)
Takanonami (9-5) Kaio (7-7)
Musoyama (12-2) Kyokutenho (10-4)
Tochiazuma (8-6) Tochinonada (6-8)
Takanohana (11-3) Dejima (8-6)
Chiyotaikai (9-5) Akebono (11-3)

Juryo Division

Dewaarashi (6-8) Sentoryu (6-8)
Jumonji (7-7) Hoshitango (5-9)

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Junior Divisions:

Makushita

Kasugaoh (3-4) Tsuchihashi

Sandanme

Kainoyama Azumaoh (2-5)

Jonokuchi

Takakobayashi Daibanjaku (3-4)

(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:

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

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