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Takanohana misses
training, still
questionable
for tourney

Kitakachidoki hangs it up

TOKYO, Aug. 22 (Kyodo) -- Yokozuna Takanohana was absent from practice Tuesday, raising questions over whether the grand champion is ready to step onto the raised ring at next month's Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament.

Takanohana is apparently still nursing a sprained left elbow which was sustained at the Nagoya tourney in July, forcing him out of the tournament and the summer provincial tour earlier this month.

Takanohana, the winner of 20 Emperor's Cups but who has not won a tournament since the 1998 fall tourney, will likely also miss Thursday's pre-tournament practice session before the Yokozuna Deliberation Council.

Stablemaster Futagoyama, however, remained positive about the grand champion's condition, saying "He is making a tremendous effort to be ready for the tourney."

The 15-day tourney gets under way at Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan on Sept. 3.

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Kitakachidoki
hangs up mawashi,
closes curtain on era

TOKYO, Aug. 22 (Kyodo) -- Veteran maegashira Kitakachidoki retired from the ring Tuesday after rankings for the upcoming Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament released the previous day listed the 34-year-old grappler in the third-tier makushita division.

The retirement of the Isenoumi stable wrestler leaves the top two divisions without a wrestler from Hokkaido, home of several of the sport's legendary names, for the first time since 1917 when future sekiwake Misugiiso first reached the juryo division.

Kitakachidoki, whose real name is Hayato Kuga, first stepped onto the raised ring in the spring tourney of 1981 and reached the elite makuuchi division for the 1989 New Year basho.

He spent 49 tournaments moving up and down the makuuchi division rankings, going as high as No. 3 maegashira, but eventually slumped into the juryo division in July 1998.

Kitakachidoki posted a 5-10 mark as a No. 10 juryo in this year's Nagoya tourney last month and was listed Monday as a No. 3 makushita wrestler for the autumn tourney opening Sept. 3 at Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan.

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