J6 – Ca passe de justesse pour Kisenosato

Normal service resumed at the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament on Friday as Mongolian grand champion Hakuho rebounded from a shock first defeat to get his bid for a record-extending 38th career championship back on track.

Hakuho, whose winning streak stretching back to the second day of the Spring tournament in March was ended by Takarafuji on a day of upsets on Thursday, laid into Kotoyuki with a series of thrusts before drawing the winless komusubi in and sending him flying to the sandy surface.

With No. 7 maegashira Ichinojo suffering his first defeat, Hakuho moved back into a share of the lead at 5-1 with, among others, fellow grand champion Harumafuji and ozeki Kisenosato.

Seeking his third straight championship, Hakuho is eight wins away from becoming the third wrestler in sumo history to reach the milestone of 1,000 career victories.

Kisenosato also recovered from a slip-up a day earlier, but had to dig himself out of a hole to post his fifth win in his bout against third-ranked maegashira Myogiryu.

Myogiryu (1-5) was initially awarded the win but ringside judges reversed the referee’s decision after television replays showed the maegashira had touched the dirt before Kisenosato stepped outside the ring.

Kisenosato can ill afford any more defeats here if he is to achieve his aim of becoming the first Japanese-born wrestler to win promotion to sumo’s top rank of yokozuna since Wakanohana in 1998.

Harumafuji deployed a flurry of slaps and thrusts to keep Shohozan (2-4) at bay, showing nifty footwork to dodge his counter attack and send him sprawling to the dirt.

In other bouts in the upper ranks, relegation-threatened ozeki Terunofuji (4-2) lost his way against previously winless No. 1 maegashira Mitakeumi and got shoved out to his second straight defeat.

Terunofuji, who has been hampered by injuries to both of his knees and lost 13 straight bouts at the last tournament after opening with two wins, needs four more victories here to retain his rank for the Autumn basho in September.

Kotoshogiku (1-5) looked to be in firm control of his bout against Okinoumi (2-4) but he could not finish the second-ranked maegashira off and ended up getting taken down at the edge of the ring.

But ozeki Goeido (4-2) had no such problems in his match against Kaisei and forced the Brazilian sekiwake debutant to touch the dirt with his left hand with an underarm shitatenage throw.

Ichinojo’s winning start finally came to an end as the towering Mongolian allowed 10th-ranked Sadanoumi (5-1) to latch onto the front of his belt and bundle him over the straw bales.

Written by Kyodo