Kyodo World Service, June 25th, 2007
It is no longer lonely at the top for Mongolian grand champion
Asashoryu.
With promoted Hakuho joining Asashoryu at yokozuna, Mongolians
occupy both the east and west sides on top of the rankings for the
first time in sumo history after the ''banzuke'' for the upcoming
Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament was released Monday.
The Japan Sumo Association has given Hakuho the west slot while
Asashoryu heads up the prestigious east side again for the July 8-22
meet at Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium.
Hakuho will compete as sumo's 69th grand champion after he
guaranteed promotion by winning his second straight title with a
stunning 15-0 record at the summer meet in May.
Having wrestled as the lone yokozuna for the past 21
tournaments, Hakuho's promotion means Asashoryu finally has some
company at sumo's top rank.
For the first time ever, foreign wrestlers outnumber Japanese
wrestlers in the sport's top four ranks of yokozuna, ozeki, sekiwake
and komusubi.
Bulgarian Kotooshu wrestles at ozeki while two more Mongolian
grapplers, Ama and Tokitenku, fight at sekiwake and komusubi,
respectively.
Kaio and Chiyotaikai fly the flag for Japan at ozeki while
sekiwake Kotomitsuki and komusubi Aminishiki are the country's other
two wrestlers in the upper echelons of the elite makuuchi division.
Kotomitsuki will be wrestling at sekiwake for a record 22nd
tournament in a row but could climb one rung up sumo's ladder to
ozeki with a strong performance in Nagoya.
Kotomitsuki followed up a 10-5 showing at the spring meet with a
12-3 record in May but will likely need an even better mark this time
out to finally win promotion to ozeki.
Elsewhere, Estonian man mountain Baruto returns to sumo's top
flight as a 14th-ranked maegashira along with ''saltshaker''
Kitazakura, Russian Hakurozan, Yoshikaze, Tosanoumi and Kaiho.
Going down to the second-tier juryo division is Mongolian
Kyokutenho, who was suspended for the whole of the last tournament
for driving a car, a violation of sumo regulations.
