Sumo
Musashimaru follows
tournament triumph
with lossTOKYO, May 26 (Kyodo) -- Ozeki Kaio wrapped up yokozuna Musashimaru for an easy win Sunday as the grand champion, who secured his 11th Emperor's Cup a day earlier, failed again to impress on the final day of the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament.
The yokozuna clinched the championship title with a win over ozeki Tochiazuma on Saturday, tying Hawaiian compatriot and former yokozuna Akebono for seventh-place on the all-time list for tournament wins in the makuuchi division.
Musashimaru, who lost to Tochiazuma on the final day of the March meet after securing his 10th title, offered little resistance to Kaio in the day's final bout at Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan.
The Tomozuna stable ozeki blasted him back after the face-off and quickly got the yokozuna backpedaling over the edge with a flurry of slaps and thrusts.
Musashimaru finished with a 13-2 record, the same as in at the spring basho, while Kaio ended his campaign with a respectable 11-4. It was also the fourth time in a row that Musashimaru has lost on the final day of a tournament after securing the championship.
Also, sekiwake Asashoryu threw Chiyotaikai off-balance and blasted him out from behind after deflecting a fierce charge from the Kokonoe stable ozeki at the face-off.
The fiery Mongolian, who is hoping for a possible ozeki promotion after the Nagoya meet in July, ended his campaign at 11-4 for the second time in as many tournaments and won the Fighting Spirit Prize for the third time.
Another 11-12 wins in July could make Asashoryu the first wrestler from Mongolia to reach sumo's second highest rank of ozeki.
Meanwhile, Mongolian compatriot Kyokushuzan was flush out of tricks against No. 7 maegashira Otsukasa (7-8), who slapped the 10th-rank wrestler down to his fifth loss.
Kyokushuzan (10-5), who employed nine different techniques to dispose of his opponents during the 15-day meet, received the Technique Prize for the first time in five years.
Newly promoted to the elite makuuchi division, No. 14 maegashira Hokutoriki was tripped up in his bout with third-ranked Miyabiyama (10-5) but took Fighting Spirit Prize honors for the first time for his impressive 11-4 debut.
Fourth-ranked Kyokutenho failed to bounce back from Friday's loss to countryman Asashoryu and was sent packing by komusubi Tochinoda (7-8), ending with a 6-9 record for a third straight basho.
TOKYO, May 26 (Kyodo) -- Results of makuuchi-division bouts Sunday, the 15th day of the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament at Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan (+denotes juryo division wrestler): Results
Won Technique Lost Tochinohana 6-9 tsukiotoshi +Aogiyama 10-5 +Hayateumi 9-6 oshidashi Buyuzan 6-9 Shimotori 10-5 sukuinage Hamanishiki 6-9 Jumonji 6-9 yorikiri Tamanoshima 5-10 Tochisakae 8-7 oshidashi Dejima 9-6 Kaiho 8-7 hikiotoshi Asanowaka 6-9 Kotoryu 8-7 oshidashi Oikari 6-9 Otsukasa 7-8 oshidashi Kyokushuzan 10-5 Tamakasuga 7-8 tsukiotoshi Chiyotenzan 5-10 Miyabiyama 10-5 hikiotoshi Hokutoriki 11-4 Tosanoumi 8-7 oshidashi Takanowaka 7-8 Wakanoyama 6-9 oshidashi Takanonami 4-11 Daizen 4-11 oshidashi Toki 4-11 Aminishiki 5-10 uchimuso Akinoshima 3-12 Tochinonada 7-8 yorikiri Kyokutenho 6-9 Kotonowaka 9-6 yorikiri Wakanosato 8-7 Asashoryu 11-4 oshidashi Chiyotaikai 11-4 Tochiazuma 10-5 yorikiri Takamisakari 8-7 Kaio 11-4 oshidashi Musashimaru 13-2 Division winners
Makuuchi -- Musashimaru, Musashigawa stable, 13-2 (No. 11)
Juryo -- Iwakiyama, Nakadachi stable, 11-4 (winner in playoff)
Makushita -- Toyozakura, Michinoku stable, 7-0
Sandamme -- Kawaguchi, Takasago stable 7-0
Jonidan -- Kajiwara, Tokitsukaze stable, 7-0 (winner in playoff)
Jonokuchi -- Katayama, Onomatsu stable, 7-0(Note: Wrestlers in sumo's four junior divisions compete in only seven bouts during the tournament.)
Special awards for makuuchi-division wrestlers
Outstanding Performance Prize - not awarded
Technique Prize -- Kyokushuzan, Oshima stable (2)
Fighting Spirit Prize -- Hokutoriki, Kokonoe stable (1), Asashoryu, Takasago stable (3)
For more sumo information online, try:
Sumo Web
Da Kine Sumo E-zine
Grand Sumo Home Page
Ozumo
CyberSumo.net
Kyodo News Service