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No stopping
Takanohana,
Musashimaru

TOKYO, Jan. 18 (Kyodo) -- Sumo's big guns continued to blaze Thursday as yokozuna rivals Takanohana and Musashimaru both registered solid wins to preserve their two-way tie for the lead on 12-0 with three days remaining at the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament.

Takanohana put on another convincing display at Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan against ozeki Miyabiyama, who had little choice but to surrender after making the mistake of letting the grand champion's powerful right hand take control of his sash.

Moving ever closer to lifting his first Emperor's Cup since September 1998, Takanohana completed the mission in the day's final bout by barging the ozeki out over the straw ridge and leave him nursing his sixth loss of the 15-day meet.

Meanwhile, fellow grand champion Musashimaru, eager to become the first wrestler of the new millennium to cart home the tournament's hardware, barely flinched as he made mincemeat of Mongolian No. 8 maegashira Kyokutenho, who finished the day at 8-4.

Ozeki Kaio, the yokozuna pair's nearest title challenger at 10 wins and two losses, had New Year defending champion Musoyama (7-5) chase him round the dohyo before easily pulling his fellow ozeki down to the dirt.

Dejima's dip in form continued as the ozeki fell to 6-6 after being flung out by newly promoted sekiwake Wakanosato, who posted a winning record at 8-4 and will now retain sumo's third-highest rank at the spring meet in March.

Top Maegashira Takanonami (5-7) piled more misery on Kotomitsuki, struggling in his first meet as sekiwake, by yanking the Sadogatake stable wrestler down to his 10th defeat of the tourney.

Earlier, Mongolia's 10th-ranked maegashira Kyokushuzan moved to 7-5 after forcing out 11th-ranked Kinkaiyama (4-8) and 12th-ranked compatriot Asashoryu (8-4) slapped down fifth-ranked Tosanoumi (5-7) to secure a winning record in his makuuchi division debut.

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Results

TOKYO, Jan. 18 (Kyodo) -- Results of makuuchi division bouts Thursday, the 12th day of the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo (+ denotes juryo division wrestler):

Won -- Technique -- Lost

Wakakosho 6-6 -- oshidashi -- Asanowaka 8-4
+Jumonji 6-6 -- yorikiri -- Minatofuji 4-8
Kyokushuzan 7-5 -- yorikiri -- Kinkaiyama 4-8
Hamanoshima 5-7 -- yorikiri -- Daishi 5-7
Higonoumi 6-6 -- kubinage -- Tamarikido 6-6
Chiyotenzan 6-6 -- oshidashi -- Takatoriki 6-6
Asashoryu 8-4 -- hatakikomi -- Tosanoumi 5-7
Tamakasuga 5-7 -- oshitaoshi -- Tokitsuumi 6-6
Tochiazuma 8-4 -- hatakikomi -- Kotoryu 7-5
Kaiho 3-9 -- yorikiri -- Tochinohana 2-10
Akinoshima 4-8 -- uwatedashinage -- Tochisakae 3-9
Wakanoyama 8-4 -- oshidashi -- Takanowaka 3-9
Tochinonada 6-6 -- yorikiri -- Kotonowaka 4-8
Takanonami 5-7 -- kotenage -- Kotomitsuki 2-10
Wakanosato 8-4 -- uwatenage -- Dejima 6-6
Kaio 10-2 -- hatakikomi -- Musoyama 7-5
Musashimaru 12-0 -- yorikiri -- Kyokutenho 8-4
Takanohana 12-0 -- yorikiri -- Miyabiyama 6-6

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Juryo Division

Komahikari (6-6) Kuniazuma (6-6)

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Junior Divisions

Makushita

Hoshitango (2-4) Gogokuyama
Ueda Kasugaoh (3-3)
Midorifuji Kyokutenzan (4-2)
Asasekiryu (4-2) Hokutoiwa

Sandanme

Sadanoshima Azumaoh (3-3)
Ryuo (4-2) Tamanosho

Jonidan

Fudoyama (5-1) Koshinoryu
Daionji (5-1) Kuroki

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

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Friday's bouts

+Tamanonada x - x Asashoryu
Takatoriki x - x +Otsukasa
Kinkaiyama x - x +Terao
Daishi 1 - 0 Tokitsuumi
Higonoumi 8 - 12 Asanowaka
Tamarikido 0 - 0 Chiyotenzan
Tochinohana 0 - 0 Wakakosho
Kyokushuzan 4 - 6 Tamakasuga
Akinoshima 8 - 5 Minatofuji
Hamanoshima 7 - 4 Kaiho
Wakanoyama 0 - 2 Tochiazuma
Takanonami 19 - 8 Tosanoumi
Takanowaka 2 - 0 Kotonowaka
Tochisakae 0 - 0 Kotomitsuki
Tochinonada 1 - 7 Miyabiyama
Dejima 2 - 0 Kyokutenho
Kotoryu 2 - 5 Musoyama
Takanohana 24 - 12 Kaio
Wakanosato 1 - 3 Musashimaru

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