Thursday, July 15, 2004

NAGOYA (AP) Sekiwake Tochiazuma upset Asashoryu on Wednesday, handing the Mongolian wrestler his first loss at the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament.

Former ozeki Tochiazuma came in low at the face off and knocked grand champion Asashoryu off balance before shoving him out over the straw ridge in the final bout at Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium.

Winners		Losers
Tokitenku	4-7	Wakatoba	2-9
Buyuzan	7-4	Kinkaiyama	4-7
Futeno	8-3	Jumonji	5-6
Asasekiryu	8-3	Takanowaka	4-7
Hayateumi	6-5	Toyozakura	8-3
Tochisakae	4-7	Harunoyama	1-10
Toki	4-7	Aminishiki	4-7
Otsukasa	6-5	Kaiho	5-6
Takamisakari	6-5	Tosanoumi	7-4
Hakuho	8-3	Miyabiyama	9-2
Tochinonada	7-4	Tokitsuumi	4-7
Kakizoe	5-6	Kasugao	3-5
Shimotori	7-4	Dejima	7-4
Kotoryu	3-8	Kyokushuzan	1-10
Kokkai	6-5	Iwakiyama	4-7
Kotonowaka	3-8	Tamanoshima	3-8
Kotomitsuki	5-6	Takekaze	4-7
Kaio	8-3	Wakanosato	6-5
Musoyama	8-3	Kyokutenho	5-6
Chiyotaikai	9-2	Hokutoriki	1-10
Tochiazuma	9-2	Asashoryu	10-1

Tochiazuma, looking to get back to the ozeki ranks, improved to 9-2, while Asashoryu fell to 10-1 but still leads the 15-day tourney.

In other major bouts, ozeki Chiyotaikai, who lost to Tochiazuma on Tuesday, got back on track and barely broke a sweat when he shoved down struggling sekiwake Hokutoriki just seconds after the face off in the day's penultimate bout.

Chiyotaikai improved to 9-2 while Hokutoriki, who lost his footing at the initial charge, dropped to an unflattering 1-10.

Musoyama wrapped up the winning record he needs to maintain his ozeki status when he deployed a textbook arm throw to send Mongolian Kyokutenho crashing to the dirt at the edge of the ring.

Musoyama improved to 8-3 while top maegashira Kyokutenho fell to 5-6.

Ozeki Kaio kept his title hopes alive when he threw down giant-killer Wakanosato at the edge to improve to 8-3.

Kaio forced the sekiwake grappler to the edge and, in what looked like slow motion, sent Wakanosato to the dirt and his fifth loss against six wins.

Mongolian Hakuho did compatriot Asashoryu a favor when he swatted down Miyabiyama shortly after the face off to give the leader a little more breathing room.

Hakuho, a No. 8 maegashira, improved to 8-3 and wrapped up a winning record, while Miyabiyama was handed his second loss in as many days and fell to 9-2.

Georgian-born Kokkai got back on the winning track with a solid win over Iwakiyama.

No. 2 maegashira Kokkai, who lost to Kaio on Tuesday, got both arms around his opponent and shoved the top maegashira out to improve to 6-5. Iwakiyama dropped to 4-8.

In earlier bouts, lower-ranked grapplers Futeno and Asasekiryu both improved to 8-3 and ensured themselves of winning records with wins over rank-and-filers Jumonji and Takanowaka, respectively.

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