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Akebono preserves lead
at Kyushu sumo

FUKUOKA, Nov. 17 (Kyodo) -- Yokozuna Akebono had little trouble with hometown favorite Kaio on Friday, quickly bundling the ozeki out to preserve his lead at 12-1 with two days remaining at the Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament.

Kaio, wrestling for the first time as ozeki on home turf, froze at the face-off, and Akebono needed no second invitation to catapult his opponent out of the ring to his third loss of the 15-day meet at Fukuoka Kokusai Center.

Meanwhile, defending Kyushu champion Musashimaru rewrote the book on winning ugly, using his 230-kilogram bulk to run over Takanohana in the day's final bout as the two grand champions battled to stay one step behind Akebono in the title race.

The fat lady was on cue when Takanohana finally got a left-hand belt grip on Musashimaru, but the Samoan-born giant squirmed free and flattened his opponent to improve to 11-2, while Takanohana, at 10-3, now needs a miracle to win his 21st Emperor's Cup.

Akebono can wrap up his 11th championship by defeating Takanohana on Saturday, while Musashimaru will bang bodies with Kaio on Day 14 as he hopes to take the title race down to the wire.

Tournament surprise Kotomitsuki continued to defy the odds as he bulldozed ozeki Dejima (8-5) onto the ringside cushions to boost his record to 11-2. The No. 9 maegashira will face another Musashigawa stable ozeki, Miyabiyama, on Saturday.

Miyabiyama ended ozeki Chiyotaikai's slim title hopes, quickly pulling him off balance and down to the dirt to leave both wrestlers at 9-4, while Musoyama secured his majority of wins as the reinstated ozeki made a pancake of komusubi Tochinohana (3-10).

In other bouts, komusubi Wakanosato improved to 7-6 by throwing down No. 7 maegashira Tochinonada (8-5) after a center-ring slugfest, while sekiwake Takanonami levered out Mongolian No. 3 maegashira Kyokushuzan to leave both men at 4-9 and facing big demotions.

Another Mongolian, Kyokutenho, slapped down Tochisakae in a match-up of sixth-ranked maegashira, putting both wrestlers on a precarious 6-7 with two days left.

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Results

FUKUOKA, Nov. 17 (Kyodo) - Results of makuuchi division bouts Friday, the 13th day of the Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament at Fukuoka Kokusai Center:

Won -- Technique -- Lost

Wakakosho 6-7 -- okuridashi -- Otsukasa 5-8
Tamanonada 5-8 -- oshidashi -- Asanowaka 5-8
Kotoryu 7-6 -- kirikaeshi -- Kaiho 7-6
Takanowaka 9-4 -- okuridashi -- Minatofuji 7-6
Tokitsuumi 8-5 -- shitatehineri -- Oginishiki 7-6
Kyokutenho 6-7 -- hatakikomi -- Tochisakae 6-7
Tamakasuga 7-6 -- oshidashi -- Toki 5-8
Chiyotenzan 6-7 -- shitatenage -- Kotonowaka 6-7
Jumonji 5-8 -- yorikiri -- Hamanoshima 2-11
Higonoumi 4-9 -- oshidashi -- Aminishiki 1-12
Wakanoyama 5-8 -- hikiotoshi -- Takatoriki 3-10
Tosanoumi 6-7 -- yoritaoshi -- Akinoshima 4-9
Wakanosato 7-6 -- sukuinage -- Tochinonada 8-5
Takanonami 4-9 -- yorikiri -- Kyokushuzan 4-9
Musoyama 8-5 -- oshitaoshi -- Tochinohana 3-10
Miyabiyama 9-4 -- hatakikomi -- Chiyotaikai 9-4
Kotomitsuki 11-2 -- yoritaoshi -- Dejima 8-5
Akebono 12-1 -- tsukidashi -- Kaio 10-3
Musashimaru 11-2 -- sukuinage -- Takanohana 10-3

Juryo Division

Kobo (9-4) Asashoryu (10-3)

Junior Divisions:

Makushita

Rikiryuyama Kyokutenzan (5-2)

Sandanme

Azumao (3-4) Hokutojo

Jonidan

Ryuo (5-2) Sawada
Daionji (1-0) Yamane
Shimazakura Orora (4-3)

(Junior division wrestlers have only seven bouts during the tournament. Records of foreign wrestlers' opponents were not available.)

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Saturday's bouts

(+ denotes juryo division wrestler)

Wakakosho x - x +Daishi
Otsukasa 2 - 2 Minatofuji
Oikari x - x Jumonji
Tamanonada 0 - 0 Aminishiki
Kaiho 2 - 3 Tamakasuga
Kotoryu 3 - 0 Takanowaka
Kotonowaka 2 - 7 Oginishiki
Tokitsuumi 1 - 2 Tochinonada
Asanowaka 3 - 2 Kyokutenho
Takatoriki 1 - 4 Toki
Kyokushuzan 3 - 6 Tosanoumi
Akinoshima 10 - 7 Higonoumi
Tochisakae 0 - 0 Wakanoyama
Tochinohana 1 - 0 Hamanoshima
Takanonami 7 - 0 Chiyotenzan
Dejima 3 - 1 Wakanosato
Musoyama 9 - 3 Chiyotaikai
Kotomitsuki 0 - 0 Miyabiyama
Musashimaru 23 - 15 Kaio
Takanohana 21 - 20 Akebono

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