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39772
Fri, 01/09/2009 - 20:01
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https://oananews.org//node/39772
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Sumo: New Year basho represents last throw of the dice for Asashoryu
TOKYO, Jan. 9 Kyodo -
No longer crowing like a cock on a dung heap, Asashoryu has arrived at the
last-chance saloon.
Victory at the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament, then back will come the
trademark smile-cum-scowl, the swagger and the nonchalance that irks and amuses
sumo watchers in equal measure.
Blow it and there is unlikely to be any time added on for stoppages in
Asashoryu's illustrious career that has been blighted by out-of-the-ring
shenanigans.
Having missed part or all of the last three tournaments through injury,
Asashoryu heads into the 15-day meet getting under way in Tokyo on Sunday
knowing a below-par performance will increase the pressure on him to bow out of
Japan's ancient sport.
And the volatile wrestler's form in his recent sparring sessions is far from
encouraging.
The once-dominant ''Bully of Ulan Bator'' has been pushed around in training
and he admitted earlier this week that he was struggling to regain form ahead
of the basho.
''I have a serious amount of catching up to do. I got wiped out today,''
Asashoryu said Wednesday after winning his last practice bout after dropping
six in a row against compatriot and fellow grand champion Hakuho.
Asashoryu has made an eleventh-hour decision to fight and his dealings with the
quote-hungry media have revealed the weight of the burden he will be carrying
at Ryogoku Kokugikan.
''Exactly how many times are you going to ask me that,'' Asashoryu barked at
reporters when asked Thursday whether or not he would be making his comeback.
Asashoryu sat out an entire tournament for the first time because of injury at
the Kyushu meet last November after withdrawing midway through the previous two
events.
At 28 years old, however, he is still young enough to revive his fortunes and
add more Emperor's Cup trophies to the 22 he has proudly held aloft on the
sacred clay surface.
Yokozuna legend Takanohana once sat out seven complete tournaments in
succession while other former grand champions Kashiwado, Kitanoumi and
Musashimaru have all missed six straight.
It is Asashoryu's repeated run-ins with sumo officialdom for a catalog of
misdemeanors, though, that have led many to call for him to step down early if
he underachieves this time around.
The Japan Sumo Association banned sumo's bad boy for two tournaments last year
after he was caught on videotape playing soccer at a charity event in Mongolia
despite his request to sit out the summer regional tour citing injuries. The
media had a field day as the suspension plunged Asashoryu into a bout of
clinical depression and forced him to return to his native land for treatment.
That was one of many occasions the surly yokozuna has landed in hot water.
He has been accused of being part of a match-fixing scandal by a tabloid-style
weekly magazine and was once involved in a bizarre hair-pulling incident when
he yanked the topknot of Kyokushuzan during a bout before the two were later
reported to have traded blows in a locker room brawl.
''There have been yokozuna that have taken more than a year off without being
warned about it,'' said one sumo elder. ''At the end of the day, the way you
conduct yourself in everyday life and the attitude you show toward sumo is
important.''
An opening-day win over sour-faced komusubi Kisenosato on Sunday will hopefully
settle Asashoryu's nerves while also issuing a warning to his countrymen, title
favorite Hakuho and newly-promoted ozeki Harumafuji, the wrestler formerly
known as Ama.
Harumafuji will also be under pressure to prove his stellar showing in Kyushu
was no fluke.
Hakuho defeated Harumafuji (then called Ama) in a championship playoff after
the two tied with 13-2 win-loss records.
Elsewhere, ozeki trio Kotomitsuki, Chiyotaikai and Bulgarian Kotooshu will be
looking to make their presence felt, although none are likely to provide much
of a threat to Hakuho, while injury-weary Kaio finds himself battling to retain
his status in sumo's second rank for a record 12th time.
The promotion of Harumafuji to ozeki has brought the number of foreign
wrestlers in sumo's top two ranks to four for the first time ever.
==Kyodo
No longer crowing like a cock on a dung heap, Asashoryu has arrived at the
last-chance saloon.
Victory at the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament, then back will come the
trademark smile-cum-scowl, the swagger and the nonchalance that irks and amuses
sumo watchers in equal measure.
Blow it and there is unlikely to be any time added on for stoppages in
Asashoryu's illustrious career that has been blighted by out-of-the-ring
shenanigans.
Having missed part or all of the last three tournaments through injury,
Asashoryu heads into the 15-day meet getting under way in Tokyo on Sunday
knowing a below-par performance will increase the pressure on him to bow out of
Japan's ancient sport.
And the volatile wrestler's form in his recent sparring sessions is far from
encouraging.
The once-dominant ''Bully of Ulan Bator'' has been pushed around in training
and he admitted earlier this week that he was struggling to regain form ahead
of the basho.
''I have a serious amount of catching up to do. I got wiped out today,''
Asashoryu said Wednesday after winning his last practice bout after dropping
six in a row against compatriot and fellow grand champion Hakuho.
Asashoryu has made an eleventh-hour decision to fight and his dealings with the
quote-hungry media have revealed the weight of the burden he will be carrying
at Ryogoku Kokugikan.
''Exactly how many times are you going to ask me that,'' Asashoryu barked at
reporters when asked Thursday whether or not he would be making his comeback.
Asashoryu sat out an entire tournament for the first time because of injury at
the Kyushu meet last November after withdrawing midway through the previous two
events.
At 28 years old, however, he is still young enough to revive his fortunes and
add more Emperor's Cup trophies to the 22 he has proudly held aloft on the
sacred clay surface.
Yokozuna legend Takanohana once sat out seven complete tournaments in
succession while other former grand champions Kashiwado, Kitanoumi and
Musashimaru have all missed six straight.
It is Asashoryu's repeated run-ins with sumo officialdom for a catalog of
misdemeanors, though, that have led many to call for him to step down early if
he underachieves this time around.
The Japan Sumo Association banned sumo's bad boy for two tournaments last year
after he was caught on videotape playing soccer at a charity event in Mongolia
despite his request to sit out the summer regional tour citing injuries. The
media had a field day as the suspension plunged Asashoryu into a bout of
clinical depression and forced him to return to his native land for treatment.
That was one of many occasions the surly yokozuna has landed in hot water.
He has been accused of being part of a match-fixing scandal by a tabloid-style
weekly magazine and was once involved in a bizarre hair-pulling incident when
he yanked the topknot of Kyokushuzan during a bout before the two were later
reported to have traded blows in a locker room brawl.
''There have been yokozuna that have taken more than a year off without being
warned about it,'' said one sumo elder. ''At the end of the day, the way you
conduct yourself in everyday life and the attitude you show toward sumo is
important.''
An opening-day win over sour-faced komusubi Kisenosato on Sunday will hopefully
settle Asashoryu's nerves while also issuing a warning to his countrymen, title
favorite Hakuho and newly-promoted ozeki Harumafuji, the wrestler formerly
known as Ama.
Harumafuji will also be under pressure to prove his stellar showing in Kyushu
was no fluke.
Hakuho defeated Harumafuji (then called Ama) in a championship playoff after
the two tied with 13-2 win-loss records.
Elsewhere, ozeki trio Kotomitsuki, Chiyotaikai and Bulgarian Kotooshu will be
looking to make their presence felt, although none are likely to provide much
of a threat to Hakuho, while injury-weary Kaio finds himself battling to retain
his status in sumo's second rank for a record 12th time.
The promotion of Harumafuji to ozeki has brought the number of foreign
wrestlers in sumo's top two ranks to four for the first time ever.
==Kyodo
