Sumo

Wakatakakage Upsets Onosato to Hand the New Ozeki His 2nd Loss at the Kyushu Basho

The former sekiwake took advantage of his low center of gravity to knock his much larger opponent off balance on Day 6 of the Kyushu Basho.

by
Jim Armstrong
November 15, 2024

Former sekiwake Wakatakakage upset favorite Onosato on Friday, November 15 to deal the newly promoted ozeki his second loss of the Kyushu Basho.

In the day's final bout at Fukuoka Kokusai Center, No 2 maegashira Wakatakakage came in low after the face-off and sent Onosato back several steps.

Onosato attempted a pulling maneuver that backfired as Wakatakakage was able to shove the larger wrestler out while giving both men a record of 4-2.

It's far from over for Onosato and he still has a chance to win his second Emperor's Cup in a row. But he will have to keep the losses to a minimum for the remainder of the 15-day tourney.

Wakatakakage was as surprised as anyone.

"I don't really remember what happened, it was so fast," Wakatakakage said.

He added, "I just attempted to move forward from the outset and fortunately, it paid off today."

Hoshoryu, Onokatsu Remain Unbeaten at the Kyushu Basho

In other major bouts, Mongolian Hoshoryu stayed in a share of the lead at 6-0 with rank-and-filer Onokatsu after an usual win over third-ranked maegashira Atamifuji.

Ozeki Hoshoryu displayed superb footwork on the edge of the ring when he was pushed right back by Atamifuji but somehow managed to keep his heel on the straw ridge as the No 3 maegashira stepped out.

Even after the bout, a somewhat skeptical Atamifuji had to check the monitor in the hallway to see that his right toe had indeed gone out, leaving him with a record of 4-2.

Kudos go to the referee for getting the call correct. The ringside judges had to huddle after the bout to conclude that Hoshoryu had won.

Ozeki Kotozakura stayed one win off the pace when he prevailed in a shove-fest with third-ranked maegashira Abi to pick up his fifth win against a lone loss. Abi fell to 4-2.

Sekiwake Kirishima finally got in the win column when he deployed a pulling underarm throw at the edge to defeat top maegashira Hiradoumi and give both wrestlers a 1-5 record.

Mitakeumi Injures Shoulder in Match Against Kotoshoho

No 7 maegashira Mitakeumi won his bout against Kotoshoho to stay one win off the pace, but it was a costly one.

Mitakeumi shifted to his side at the edge and thrust the No 5 maegashira out. But it was what happened next that was of the biggest consequence.

Mitakeumi (5-1) toppled off the raised ring and landed hard on his shoulder. He had to be stabilized and then taken off on a stretcher, a rare sight in sumo.

Whether he can continue to wrestle on Day 7 remains to be seen. Kotoshoho fell to 1-5.

Further down the ranks, Mongolian Onokatsu, a No 15 megashira, forced out juryo grappler Kayo (4-2) to remain tied for the lead at 6-0.

Eighth-ranked maegashira Gonoyama knocked Takanosho out of the lead when he pushed the sixth-ranked maegashira back at the face-off and then hauled him down to give both wrestlers a record of 5-1.

In an all-komusubi showdown, Shodai (2-4) shoved Wakamotoharu back at the face-off and then eased off when the Arashio stable grappler counterattacked and pulled his opponent down. Wakamotoharu fell to 3-3.

March tournament winner Takerufuji bounced back from a loss on the previous day when he thrust out fellow rank-and-filer Chiyoshoma (3-3) to move to 4-2.