J5 – Takakeisho reste invaincu

Ozeki Takakeisho and three other wrestlers maintained their perfect starts after five days at the November Grand Sumo Tournament as new ozeki Shodai withdrew from the meet on Thursday with a left ankle ligament injury.

Takakeisho, the only wrestler remaining in competition from the sport’s top-two ranks, did his best keep the fans happy at Tokyo’s Ryogoku Kokugikan by decisively thrusting out No. 2 maegashira Daieisho (3-2) to close out top-division action on Day 5.

Shodai, who had been slated to appear in day’s final bout, left the meet with a 3-2 record while his scheduled opponent, No. 2 maegashira Onosho, picked up his first win by forfeit.

Shodai joins fellow ozeki Asanoyama, who pulled out on Tuesday with a deltoid muscle injury, on the sidelines alongside Mongolian grand champions Hakuho and Kakuryu, who said they would not compete before the start of the 15-day meet due to injuries.

Komusubi Terunofuji, meanwhile, put on a stunning display to stay in contention for his third makuuchi-division title and second of the year.

After securing a left-handed belt hold against Hokutofuji, the former ozeki lifted the No. 4 maegashira clear off the ground before crashing the rank-and-filer down to his first loss.

Lower down in the elite division, No. 14 Chiyonokuni slapped down No. 11 Sadanoumi (1-4) at the edge of the raised ring to collect his fifth straight win.

No. 17 Shimanoumi struggled to gain purchase on Kotonowaka (3-2) but his tireless charges paid dividends in the end as he defeated the No. 14 maegashira by force-out to also remain undefeated.

Sekiwake Mitakeumi overpowered No. 1 Wakatakakage (1-4) and claimed a quick force-out win for his third victory.

New sekiwake Takanosho also improved to 3-2 after pushing out No. 1 Kiribayama (1-4), while komusubi Takayasu was thrust down to his fourth loss by No. 3 Okinoumi (4-1).

Among the seven men tied for the overnight lead, No. 7 Endo suffered his first defeat of the basho at the hands of Takarafuji (4-1). Endo’s overly cautious approach allowed Takarafuji to swivel him off balance and push him out from behind.

No. 9 Kotoeko also fell to his first loss despite making headway against No. 8 Terutsuyoshi (2-3), who delivered a last-ditch slap-down on the ropes while managing to stay inside the straw bales.

Written by Kyodo