Sumo
TOKYO >> A 22-year-old Mongolian took the sumo world by storm in 2002. Asashoryu on the rise,
but entire sport strugglingStar-Bulletin wire services
With injury-ravaged yokozuna Takanohana and fellow 30-something grand champion Musashimaru likely to step down from the ring in the not- too-distant future, ozeki Asashoryu has emerged as the red-hot favorite to lead the next generation of wrestlers to the sumo summit.
"Words can't describe all the good things that have happened to me this year," Asashoryu said.
Displaying a ruthless streak that would have had Genghis Khan cheering from the ringside cushions, Asashoryu has brawled and battered his way to the brink of promotion to yokozuna in record time.
But if the pride of Ulan Bator, who has earned himself hero status in Mongolia, represents the next generation of grapplers, worries persist about the direction of the sport.
A spate of injuries to the top wrestlers saw sumo's popularity continue to plummet with the Kyushu tourney at Fukuoka Kokusai Center failing to sell out a single day of the 15-day meet for the third straight year, while television ratings are also on the wane.
For Asashoryu, though, 2002 was a personal triumph as he became the first Mongolian to reach ozeki after going 12-3 in July, a record which included a 14th-day upset over Musashimaru, and capped an outstanding year by winning his first Emperor's Cup in Kyushu with a 14-1 record.
He also finished the year with the most wins -- 66 from the six tournaments -- in the makuuchi division.
Asashoryu has lost both of his meetings with Takanohana but is only one bout down in his nine-bout rivalry with Musashimaru, Hawaii's Fiamalu Penitani, and has a fairly even record with the other ozeki.
And with injured Takanohana (knee) and Musashimaru (wrist) unlikely to be wrestling at next month's New Year Tournament, Asashoryu will never have a better chance of winning a second Emperor's Cup, an accomplishment that would see him promoted to sumo's pinnacle.
Japan's favorite son Takanohana, meanwhile, returned after a lengthy absence to put in a respectable 12-3 record at the autumn basho, and was only denied the title by archrival Musashimaru on the final day of the meet.
To his credit, Musashimaru has carried the flag for yokozuna with three championships while ozeki Tochiazuma and Chiyotaikai, who have both had injury problems of their own this year, weighed in with one Emperor's Cup apiece.
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