Sumo update - day 4
Looks like 1 of the 2 questions of this tournament has been answered, while the other is only slightly up in the air.
Wannabe Ozeki candidate Ama looked good for 2 days, then shockingly dropped 2 matches in a row to Kisenosato and Goeido, leaving him at 2-2 and all but out of contention for that Ozeki promotion. He can definitely still get it if he goes 10-1 or 11-0 the rest of the way, but with matches against Hakuho and all the Ozeki's still left, it doesn't seem too likely. His only hope is to hang on for enough wins to give him a chance to win promotion after January's tournament.
Meanwhile, prohibitive tournament favorite Hakuho threw everything up in the air (literally -- see picture) by losing on day 1 to Aminishiki. He's righted the ship with 3 straight wins now, but today's win against Wakanosato was a contested victory in which both wrestlers went flying out of the ring at the same time. The ref called it for Hakuho, the judges convened to discuss it, and decided not to change the ref's call. Seemed like the right call, but obviously not a dominant win for Hakuho, so maybe he won't win it easily after all.
The current leaders at 4-0 are all low-ranked wrestlers, who've been demoted below their personal highs: Dejima, Miyabiyama, and Tokitenku. Miyabiyama, who outweighs almost everyone and has the worst chest in Sumo, could compete til the last few days, but the others won't.
The best performances have been by Aminishiki, who beat Hakuho and followed that with 2 wins over Ozeki's, and Toyonoshima and Wakanosato, who both beat 3 Ozeki's but lost to Hakuho.
Clearly, the Ozeki's are not having a good tournament. Kaio went 1-2, then dropped out of the tournament after pulling his triceps or something. He was already hobbled by a bad leg, so it just saved him a lot of humiliation. He still doesn't seem to realize he's too old to Sumo wrestler and muscles will continue to pop at random times on him -- he says he'll rest for 4 weeks, then start training for January's tournament. Chiyotaikai is 2-2 and Koto'oshu is 1-3, and only Kotomitsuki is showing anything, with a 3-1 record.
Baruto dropped his first 2 matches at Sekiwake, but has won 2 in a row now to even his record. He still has all his Ozeki and Yozokuna matches to come.
Futeno is choking big time at his high ranking, with an 0-4 record vs. the Sumo world's best.
The rookies, both the veteran Bushuyama and the Russian phenom Aran, are suffering in the big leagues at 1-3.
Takamisakari, fighting at the very bottom of the major leagues, is looking good at 3-1, and should get enough wins to stay in the majors.
In the minors, 26-year old Mongolian rookie Shotenro is among the leaders at 4-0. And rookie Yotsuguruma (4 Cars), at 3-1, was asked about his name in an interview, but the answer was very boring. He got it from some ancient Sumo wrestler, and it has nothing to do with how many vehicles are in his garage.
Match of the day tomorrow: Kotomitsuki (3-1) vs. Toyonoshima (3-1), who has already beaten all 3 of the other Ozeki's.
