NAGOYA - Ukrainian sekiwake Aonishiki moved a win away from his third Emperor's Cup on Saturday after beating fellow title contender Takerufuji to retain the outright lead after 14 days at the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament.
Aonishiki (12-2) found himself in a vulnerable position in a testing start against one-time, top-tier makuuchi-division winner Takerufuji (10-4) after allowing the No. 13 maegashira a right overarm belt hold and then a left underarm grip at IG Arena in Nagoya.
Kept on the back foot, Aonishiki seized his moment by defeating his opponent with a timely frontal crush after Takerufuji had opted to swivel his body at the edge to execute a forceful throw.
Aonishiki was demoted from ozeki ahead of the tournament but secured his return to the second-highest rank at the next meet by racking up the 10 wins he needed this month. He won back-to-back Emperor's Cups in November last year and January.
Two wrestlers head into the final 15th day a win back of Aonishiki and one of them, ozeki Kirishima (11-3), was handed a crucial win by default after yokozuna Hoshoryu (7-7) withdrew earlier in the day due to a nagging right hamstring injury that requires six weeks to recover.
After going 12-3 in May, Kirishima could still win promotion to yokozuna by posting a championship-caliber result. But a defeat on Friday to Aonishiki has left Japan Sumo Association senior officials voicing doubts about the elevation.
Atamifuji (11-3) stayed in the title race with a faultless win over Shishi (10-4). The sekiwake was untroubled by the No. 14 maegashira's decision to move slightly to his right at the start and drove out the Ukrainian in a flash for his sixth win in a row.
After missing most of the last two tournaments with left shoulder pain, yokozuna Onosato (8-6) secured a winning record with a day to spare after grappling out ozeki Kotozakura (8-6) in the day's last bout.
