Takanohana gets rest;
Musashimaru presses on

TOKYO, May 20 (Kyodo) -- Chiyotaikai downed fellow ozeki Kaio on Sunday to stay within one win of yokozuna Takanohana in the challenge for the title at the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament.

Takanohana (8-0) won his bout against Wakanoyama (2-6) by injury default but saw his closest rivals keep up the pressure in the 15-day tourney at Tokyo's Ryokoku Kokugikan.

The grand champion from the Futagoyama stable got the day off after No. 2 maegashira Wakanoyama pulled out of the tournament with ligament damage to his left ankle, sustained during his loss to Kaio on Saturday.

In Sunday's key match-up, ozeki Chiyotaikai (7-1) had Kaio (4-4) up against the straw bales following the initial charge and then moved his weight back to pull the defending champion down to the ground.

Yokozuna Musashimaru (6-2) beat out giant-killer Kotomitsuki (5-3) to remain two wins back and keep up the challenge for the Emperor's Cup going into the second week despite two losses in the first three days.

The Hawaii-born grand champion used his huge frame to shove out the smaller komusubi, preventing the 25-year-old upstart from adding a yokozuna scalp to the four ozeki he has nabbed in the past week.

Mongolian Asashoryu (5-3), however, snatched yet another upset victory with an easy win over struggling ozeki Dejima (2-6).

The newly promoted komusubi claimed his fourth victory over an ozeki to go with his opening-day win over Musashimaru.

Ozeki Miyabiyama (6-2), who came into the tourney needing eight wins to hold onto his rank, has now joined the chase pack two paces back with a win over Wakanosato (5-3).

The Musashigawa stable wrestler turned the top-ranked maegashira around and sent him sprawling to the dirt.

In the early bouts, Higonoumi (6-2), who started the day in a tie for second place, suffered a second straight loss, getting muscled out by Mongolia's Kyokushuzan, who also stands at 6-2.

Kyokutenho, however, was not as fortunate, going down to his fourth loss at the hands of former ozeki Takanonami (5-3), who hoisted the Mongolian maegashira of the ring.

Yokozuna candidate
Kaio drops out

TOKYO, May 20 (Kyodo) - Ozeki Kaio, who had been touted as a candidate for sumo's top rank of yokozuna, pulled out of the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament on Sunday complaining of lower back pain.

Kaio, who won the Emperor's Cup at the spring tournament in March, was in line for promotion to grand champion with another championship this time out but will now face the possibility of relegation at the Nagoya meet in July.

Kaio, who was pulled down by fellow ozeki Chiyotaikai at Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan on Sunday, will default Monday's bout to No. 4 maegashira Hayateumi and exits the summer tournament with a dismal 4-5 record.

"He aggravated an injury in his back in his bout (with Chiyotaikai). He's in no shape to wrestle. He says he's exhausted and needs some time to recover from the injury" said sumo elder Tomozuna, Kaio's stablemaster.

Kaio, who captured his first championship at last year's Nagoya tourney, injured his lower back late last month and missed considerable practice time in the lead up to the tourney.

Results from day eight

TOKYO, May 20 (Kyodo) - Results of makuuchi division bouts Sunday, the eighth day of the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo (+ denotes juryo division wrestler):

Won Technique Lost

+Minatofuji 4-4 hikiotoshi Takatoriki 2-6
Kyokushuzan 6-2 yorikiri Higonoumi 6-2
Asanowaka 2-6 tsukiotoshi Hamanishiki 1-7
Daizen 4-4 oshidashi Aminishiki 4-4
Toki 6-2 tsukidashi Terao 2-6
Akinoshima 4-4 yorikiri Wakatsutomu 5-3
Kotonowaka 5-3 yorikiri Tochinohana 5-3
Otsukasa 4-4 yorikiri Jumonji 4-4
Kaiho 3-5 shitatenage Tokitsuumi 2-6
Takanonami 5-3 tsuridashi Kyokutenho 4-4
Tamakasuga 3-5 hatakikomi Tochisakae 5-3
Hayateumi 6-2 yorikiri Tamanoshima 1-7
Takanowaka 3-5 oshidashi Chiyotenzan 2-6
Tochiazuma 5-3 yorikiri Tochinonada 1-7
Musoyama 4-4 oshidashi Tosanoumi 2-6
Chiyotaikai 7-1 hikiotoshi Kaio 4-4
Miyabiyama 6-2 hikiotoshi Wakanosato 5-3
Asashoryu 5-3 yorikiri Dejima 2-6
Takanohana 8-0 default Wakanoyama 2-6
Musashimaru 6-2 oshitaoshi Kotomitsuki 5-3

---

Monday's bouts

+Hamanoshima x - x Takatoriki
+Wakakosho x - x Hamanishiki
Tochinohana 2 - 1 Aminishiki
Kyokushuzan 7 - 6 Akinoshima
Terao 6 - 7 Asanowaka
Otsukasa 1 - 1 Daizen
Toki 3 - 0 Kyokutenho
Jumonji 0 - 0 Wakatsutomu
Kotonowaka 16 - 28 Takanonami
Tochisakae 1 - 2 Higonoumi
Tamanoshima 0 - 0 Tokitsuumi
Kaiho 1 - 5 Chiyotenzan
Takanowaka 1 - 0 Asashoryu
Kotomitsuki 1 - 0 Tochiazuma
Tamakasuga 7 - 9 Musoyama
Kaio 2 - 0 Hayateumi
Chiyotaikai 3 - 0 Wakanosato
Tochinonada 2 - 8 Miyabiyama
Tosanoumi 5 - 20 Musashimaru
Takanohana 12 - 3 Dejima

Takanohana keeps
solo lead at 8-0

TOKYO (AP) - Yokozuna (grand champion) Takanohana picked up his eighth victory by default and remained alone in the lead at 8-0 on Sunday, the eighth day of the 15-day Summer Grand Sumo Tournament.

One victory behind Takanohana at 7-1 was ozeki (champion) Chiyotaikai, followed by six wrestlers, including Hawaiian-born yokozuna Musashimaru and ozeki Miyabiyama. No. 15 maegashira (senior wrestler) Mongolian Kyokushuzan was at 6-2.

Takanohana, seeking his 22nd tournament victory, was scheduled to meet No. 2 maegashira Wakanoyama, but Wakanohana withdrew from the tournament because of an injury to his left ankle suffered when he was crushed down by ozeki Kaio Saturday. Wakanoyama is 2-6.

Chiyotaikai charged Kaio with hand thrusts against his foe's throat and drove him to the ring's edge and suddenly pulled him down, handing Kaio his fourth defeat against four victories.

In the day's final bout, Musashimaru, or Fiamalu Penitani, charged komusubi (junior champion second class) Kotomitsuki with hand thrusts and thrust him down, leaving Kotomitsuki at 5-3.

In other major bouts, ozeki Miyabiyama slapped down No. 1 maegashira Wakanosato, handing Wakanosato his third defeat against five victories.

Mongolian komusubi Asashoryu, or Dolgorsvren Dagvadrj, charged ozeki Dejima with a leg trick and sent him out for his fifth victory against three defeats. Dejima is 2-6.

It was Asashoryu's fourth victory from ozekis after beating Musashimaru on the opening day last Sunday.

Ozeki Musoyama drove out No. 3 maegashira Tosanoumi, who tried to pull him down. Musoyama is 4-4 and Tosanoumi 2-6.

No. 5 maegashira Takanonami grabbed No. 7 maegashira Kyokutenho's belt and lifted him out to improve his record to 5-3. Kyokutenho, or Mongolian Tsevegnyam Nyamjav, is 4-4.

Kyokushuzan, or Batbayar Davaa, charged No. 11 maegashira Higonoumi with hand thrusts, grabbed his foe's belt and drove him out, leaving both wrestlers at 6-2.

In the 26-member juryo division, just below the senior makuuchi division, No. 4-ranked Sentoryu, or American Henry Armstrong Miller, suffered his sixth defeat against two victories, losing to No. 2-ranked Hamanoshima by a driving technique.

No. 8-ranked Kuniazuma, or Brazilian Vander Ramos, was pushed out by No. 7-ranked Yotsukasa for his second defeat against six victories. Yotsukasa is 5-3.

No. 13-ranked Wakaazuma, or Yoshinobu Kuroda from Brazil, was crushed down by No. 7-ranked Kotokanyu for his seventh defeat against one victory. Kotokanyu is also 1-7.

---

For more sumo information online, try:
Sumo Web
Da Kine Sumo E-zine
Ozumo
CyberSumo.net
Kyodo News Service