Ozeki Takakeisho got back on the winning track on Thursday, November 16 when he bulldozed veteran Takayasu out to avoid another setback on Day 5 of the Kyushu Basho.
Takakeisho absorbed a ferocious shoulder blast to the head at the face-off and then moved in low before using his trademark shoving technique to send No 3 maegashira Takayasu toppling off the raised ring.
No 2 maegashira Meisei handed Takakeisho his first loss on Day 4.
Takakeisho, who improved to 4-1, can ill afford many losses at the Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament, knowing he will be in line for yokozuna promotion with a second straight title or a championship-caliber record.
With grand champion Terunofuji sitting out yet another tournament due to injury, all eyes are on whether Takakeisho can produce the type of result that could earn him promotion to sumo's highest rank.
Takakeisho won the previous tournament in September but has had trouble putting together two consecutive strong basho. He would either have to win this tournament or have a record in the neighborhood of 13 wins.
Takayasu, who is a seven-time runner-up, dropped to 2-3.
Kyushu Basho Leaders: Four Grapplers Still Unbeaten
Ozeki Hoshoryu improved to 5-0 and shares the early lead with Kotonowaka, Atamifuji and Ichiyamamoto.
Hoshoryu and Gonoyama engaged in a prolonged staredown before the Mongolian recovered from an awkward face-off to shove out the fourth-ranked maegashira (1-4) who lost his momentum with an attempted pull on the back of the neck.
In a showdown of two previously undefeated sekiwake, Kotonowaka improved to 5-0 and handed Daieisho (4-1) his first loss with a slap-down technique immediately after the face-off.
Ozeki Kirishima also bounced back from a loss on the previous day in Thursday's final bout at Fukuoka Kokusai Center. Kirishima swatted down No 2 maegashira Meisei (1-4) to stay in a group of seven wrestlers one win off the pace at 4-1.
On Wednesday, Kirishima was handed his first loss when he was thrust down by Takayasu.
No 8 Atamifuji (4-0), a 21-year-old who lost September's championship playoff to Takakeisho, improved to 5-0 when he maneuvered Kotoeko (2-3) to the edge and shoved out the 10th-ranked grappler.
Ichiyamamoto also kept a clean slate at 5-0 when he bulldozed fellow rank-and-filer Kitanowaka out shortly after the face-off. Kitanowaka fell to 3-2.
Shonannoumi and Midorifuji are also at 4-1 after winning their bouts against Endo and Kinbozan, respectively.
The other 4-1 wrestlers are veteran Tamawashi and rank-and-filer Churanoumi.
RELATED:
- Takakeisho Off to a Convincing Start at Kyushu Basho
- Terunofuji Pulls Out of Kyushu Basho with Back Pain
Author: Jim Armstrong
The author is a longtime journalist who has covered sports in Japan for over 25 years. You can find his articles on SportsLook.
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