Sumo
Musashimaru
pulls out
He says his second bout
aggravated his wrist injuryTOKYO, Jan. 15 (Kyodo) - Grand champion Musashimaru has decided to pull out of the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament after aggravating an injury to his left wrist in a loss to Kyokushuzan at Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan on Tuesday.
Musashimaru, the only yokozuna in the tournament, aggravated the injury when he was wrenched out of the ring by Mongolian maegashira Kyokushuzan for his second defeat in the first three days of the tournament.
"Being the only yokozuna in the meet, Musashimaru really wanted to appear in the tournament. But it was evident during pre-tournament training that his wrist has not yet healed," stablemaster Musashigawa said.
Samoa-born Musashimaru, a nine-time Emperor's Cup winner, withdraws from a tourney for the first time since the summer meet in 2000 and will forfeit his bout against Kaiho on Wednesday, leaving him with a 1-3 record here.
Fellow yokozuna Takanohana is sitting out his fourth straight tourney with an injured right knee, leaving a tournament without a grand champion for the first time since the spring basho of 1999.
Chiyotaika in charge
of New Year meetTOKYO, Jan. 15 (Kyodo) - Grand champion Musashimaru took a second loss Tuesday, but ozeki Chiyotaikai showed komusubi Wakanosato who was boss on the third day of New Year Grand Sumo Tournament.
Chiyotaikai brought an anticlimactic end to the day's premier bout, quickly blasting dark horse Wakanosato and flipping him to the clay surface to move to 3-0 on the third day of the 15-day meet at Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan.
Chiyotaikai, who is looking to escape relegation from sumo's second highest rank, lunged quickly on the face-off and wasted no time pummeling the komusubi to hand him his first loss of the basho.
In the day's final bout, Musashimaru again fell victim to his own carelessness when he let top-ranked Mongolian Kyokushuzan (1-2) grab a wayward arm to pull him over the edge for another embarrassing defeat.
Meanwhile, newly promoted ozeki Tochiazuma was forced to play with fire again when he was barely able to shove out Kyokutenho and allowed the Mongolian komusubi to wrench him headlong at the ring's edge.
But Tochiazuma, who is aiming to become the first wrestler in 33 years to claim the Emperor's Cup as an ozeki debutante, burrowed his head into Kyokutenho (0-3) and forced the komusubi to fly over the edge in the nick of time to preserve his unblemished record.
Ozeki Kaio (2-1), who made an impressive 10-5 run in November, was the victor against Tamanoshima, calmly bulldozing ahead to send the No. 2 maegashira to his third straight loss.
Ozeki Musoyama, who suffered two straight losses, got back on track to move to 1-2, quickly shoving No. 1 maegashira Akinoshima (0-3) over the edge for a comfortable win while sekiwake Kotomitsuki plowed down second-ranked Toki (1-2), to stay among the front-runners.
In other bouts, former ozeki Dejima, who has taken an ignominious fall to No. 4 maegashira, was emphatically twisted down in an arm throw by seventh-ranked maegashira Tosanoumi (3-0).
Mongolian workhorse Asashoryu (2-1) got into a fierce tussle with Kaiho (1-2) -- both wrestlers thrusting and wrenching each other at mid-ring -- before the sekiwake did a quick spin to send the No. 3 maegashira crashing to the dirt.
TOKYO, Jan. 15 (Kyodo) - Results of makuuchi division bouts for Tuesday, the third day of the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo (+ indicates juryo-division wrestler): Results
Won Technique Lost Tochisakae 3-0 oshidashi +Terao 0-3 Oginishiki 1-2 yorikiri Sentoryu 2-1 Jumonji 1-2 yorikiri Asanowaka 0-3 Hamanishiki 2-1 shitatehineri Tokitsuumi 1-2 Aminishiki 3-0 hikiotoshi Wakanoyama 2-1 Oikari 1-2 oshitaoshi Tamakasuga 2-1 Tamarikido 1-2 shitatenage Daizen 0-3 Otsukasa 1-2 hatakikomi Kobo 1-2 Tochinonada 2-1 oshidashi Buyuzan 2-1 Tosanoumi 3-0 uwatenage Dejima 1-2 Chiyotenzan 2-1 shitatenage Kotonowaka 0-3 Takanonami 3-0 yorikiri Takanowaka 2-1 Asashoryu 2-1 hikiotoshi Kaiho 1-2 Kotomitsuki 3-0 yorikiri Toki 1-2 Musoyama 1-2 oshidashi Akinoshima 0-3 Kaio 2-1 yorikiri Tamanoshima 0-3 Tochiazuma 3-0 oshidashi Kyokutenho 0-3 Chiyotaikai 3-0 hatakikomi Wakanosato 2-1 Kyokushuzan 1-2 hikkake Musashimaru 1-2
Wednesday's bouts
Sentoryu 0 - 0 Jumonji Oginishiki x - x +Shimotori Tokitsuumi 6 - 2 Asanowaka Tochisakae 0 - 0 Oikari Hamanishiki 0 - 1 Tamarikido Tamakasuga 4 - 1 Wakanoyama Buyuzan 1 - 0 Aminishiki Tosanoumi 0 - 0 Kobo Daizen 3 - 3 Otsukasa Takanowaka 2 - 7 Tochinonada Kotonowaka 6 - 7 Dejima Chiyotenzan 5 - 3 Toki Wakanosato 1 - 2 Tamanoshima Kotomitsuki 3 - 1 Kyokutenho Chiyotaikai 8 - 3 Akinoshima Kyokushuzan 7 - 7 Musoyama Kaio 20 - 24 Takanonami Asashoryu 2 - 2 Tochiazuma Musashimaru 2 - 2 Kaiho
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