Newly promoted ozeki Hakuho defeated lower-ranked fellow Mongolian Kyokutenho yesterday and was tied for the lead at 3-0 on the third day of the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament.
Hakuho, who was promoted to the sport's second highest rank in March, grabbed winless komusubi Kyokutenho with a left-hand grip and forced him out of the ring. With the win, Hakuho remained tied for the lead with ozeki Chiyotaikai, sekiwake Miyabiyama and rank-and-filer Hakurozan.
Hakuho, 21, is the fourth-youngest wrestler in modern sumo history to be promoted to ozeki after Takanohana, Taiho and Kitanoumi, who all went on to become yokozuna legends.
PHOTO: AP
Hakuho made his sumo debut in 2001 and is the second Mongolian to reach the title after grand champion Asashoryu.
Earlier yesterday, yokozuna Asashoryu withdrew from the 15-day tourney after injuring his right elbow in Monday's loss to second-ranked maegashira Wakanosato.
In Monday's bout, Asashoryu hit his elbow when he tumbled into the first row of seats from the raised ring after Wakanosato sidestepped at the ring's edge.
His injury will need about two months of treatment, the Japan Sumo Association said. Asashoryu's opponent on the third day, No. 3 maegashira Aminishiki, won the bout by default.
In other major bouts, ozeki Chiyotaikai improved to 3-0 with a win over third-ranked maegashira Kotoshogiku, who fell to 1-2.
Ozeki Kaio posted his first win when he hauled down Mongolian komusubi Ama near the center of the ring for a 1-2 record. Ama remained 0-3.
Ozeki Tochiazuma posted his second straight loss when Mongolian Asasekiryu prevailed after both exchanged a fierce series of shoves and thrusts. Second-ranked maegashira Asasekiryu improved to 2-1, while Tochiazuma fell to 1-2.
In another upset, ozeki Kotooshu was handed his second straight loss by Wakankosato, who flung down the Bulgarian grappler.
Wakanosato, who defeated Asashoryu on Monday, improved to 2-1, while Kotooshu dropped to 1-2.
Earlier, Estonian Baruto grabbed Hokutoriki's belt with his left hand before throwing the 13th-ranked maegashira down to the dirt. Baruto, making his debut in the elite makuuchi division, improved to 2-1, while Wakanosato remained winless.
Japanese badminton star Chiharu Shida on Tuesday told Chinese fans to “stop stalking” her, adding that she was “very scared” by the unwanted attention. Shida, who won women’s doubles bronze at the Paris Olympics last year, has a strong following in China partly because of her engagement with the local culture. The 27-year-old, currently competing at the Badminton Asia Championships in Ningbo, China, has been dubbed the “Badminton Goddess” by fans and media. She hit out at some supporters on Tuesday, accusing them in an Instagram post of taking their fandom too far. “Every time we compete in China we always experience the harm
Two people died on Thursday after fans and police clashed outside the Estadio Monumental in Santiago ahead of a game in South America’s Copa Libertadores, Chilean authorities said. The fatalities happened shortly before the match between Chile’s Colo-Colo and Brazilian club Fortaleza, when police blocked about 100 fans when they attempted to enter the stadium. There were conflicting accounts of how the fatalities occurred, with local media reporting that one of the dead was a 13-year-old boy. The other victim was an 18-year-old woman, according to a relative at the hospital where she was treated. The fans died after being caught underneath a
A potential European league could be a gold mine for the NBA as the top-flight North American league looks to muscle its way into a deep pool of talent across the Atlantic Ocean. The NBA is exploring the launch of a European league with world basketball governing body FIBA as a partner, NBA commissioner Adam Silver said last week, with an eye toward a 16-team format made up of 12 permanent clubs and four qualifiers. The continent’s longstanding Euroleague quickly signaled its readiness to enter into talks with the NBA, even as it has balked at the idea of another league in
Hans Niemann, the chess grand master at the heart of an alleged cheating scandal, has yet to provide an explanation on his late withdrawal from the Freestyle Grand Slam in Paris. Niemann, who was accused of cheating by world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen in 2023 before the matter was settled outside court, received a wild card for the event, but informed organizers he was pulling out for “personal reasons” less than 48 hours before the start of the 12-player tournament. “I texted him on Friday at 7pm. I said: ‘Hans, we’re already here. Are you here as well?’ And he read the
RSS