[sumo] More from Japan Today

[WayneE at MMCS.army.mil]

Hakuho looking to give sumo a lift on yokozuna debut

Friday, July 6, 2007 at 06:00 EDT 

TOKYO - Newly-promoted Mongolian yokozuna Hakuho will be looking to pull
sumo out of the doldrums and prove his elevation to sumo's top rank was
no fluke when the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament kicks off this weekend.
The sport hit a new low last week when the Japan Sumo Association
revealed that no one applied for the tests for new recruits for the
first time ever. The death of a 17-year-old wrestler after a recent
practice session and the JSA's plans to file a criminal complaint
against a magazine publisher for defamation have also threatened to
overshadow Hakuho's grand champion debut at the July 8-22 basho at Aichi
Prefectural Gymnasium. 
Hakuho wants to help boost sumo's popularity "by performing so well that
children will dream of sumo" but the 22-year-old acknowledges he will be
under pressure. "There's a big difference between being ozeki and
yokozuna. I have always to be right in the thick of the title race. I am
now in a position where I have to win. You can train all you like but if
you lose at a tournament it means nothing. I have to fight with a strong
mind," said Hakuho.


Emmett Wayne