[sumo] Kotooshu and Akebono articles - not related.

[Sumocypher at aol.com]

Since there has been nothing posted for several days,
 
here's some reading material:
 
 
>From the Daily Yomiuri Online edition:
 
_http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/sports/20080621TDY22309.htm_ 
(http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/sports/20080621TDY22309.htm) 
 
Reversal of fortune: Kotooshu on way up at last
Kei Hirokawa / Ozumo 
Kotooshu was not mentioned as a contender ahead of last month's Summer Grand  
Sumo Tournament. Looking at his record, it's not hard to see why.  
Fighting to save his ozeki rank for the second time this year and having  
failed to mount even a decent challenge to the yokozuna for months, no one gave  
the Bulgarian's chances a second thought.  
The first inkling Kotooshu had turned a corner came on the fourth day, when  
he completely dominated the powerful Kokkai, dispatching him from the ring in  
2.6 seconds. For the first time since being promoted to ozeki, Kotooshu had  
opened a tournament with four straight wins.  
"I'm feeling pretty good," he said with an air of confidence that had often  
been in short supply.  
After an injury to his left arm forced Kotooshu to withdraw from the March  
tourney, stablemaster Sadogatake crafted a sapping training regime that focused 
 on fortifying Kotooshu's lower body strength. Each day, the ozeki would do a 
 minimum of 200 leg stamps, followed by an hour or two of other leg 
exercises.  
At 2.02 meters, Kotooshu is the tallest man in the makuuchi division.  
However, his habit of lowering his head to the level of his opponent left him  
vulnerable.  
Sadogatake wanted him to get down to his opponent's height by bending his  
knees--a complete remodeling of his technique that inspired the exhausting  
training program.  
On Day 6, Kotooshu comfortably pushed out the second-tallest rikishi in the  
top division, 1.97-meter Baruto, after easily soaking up the Estonian's 
initial  attack. The convincing performance--which suggested his position as being a 
 perennial also-ran could be nearing an end--had Makiko Uchidate, a member of 
the  Yokozuna Deliberation Council, gushing.  
"He has the physique, he has a special talent," she said.  
Eight consecutive wins rubbed out the threat of demotion and kept Kotooshu on 
 pace with the rock-steady yokozuna Hakuho. Then Ama threw a cat among the  
pigeons when he defeated Hakuho on Day 10.  
Kotooshu's victory over Kakuryu left him with a 10-0 record and alone at the  
top of the leaderboard. Kotooshu's banter with the media after the bout only  
unraveled once--when the topic of winning the tournament came up. "I'm not  
thinking about the yusho," he snapped.  
Kotooshu has earned a reputation for crumbling when the pressure is on. At  
the ceremony to confirm his promotion to ozeki after the 2005 Kyushu basho,  
nerves got his tongue as he tried to say that he would dedicate himself to his  
training so as not to tarnish the name of the ozeki.  
Not being able to hold it together when the heat is on can be seen as a  
sympathetically human characteristic--but not for someone whose career depends  on 
the fine line between winning and losing. As a tournament enters the final  
few days, mental strength becomes more and more important. Kotooshu's bout with 
 yokozuna Asashoryu on Day 11 epitomized how far the ozeki had come in this  
regard.  
At the tachiai, Kotooshu waited until his higher-ranked opponent put his  
hands on the ground, and then called for a timeout. After resetting, he came in  
low and got a solid right-hand overarm grip, pulling the Asashoryu close 
before  ushering him out of the ring for a one-sided victory. Asa had his left 
flank  taped from the following day, suggesting Kotooshu's sheer power was as  
destructive as it was effective.  
Kotooshu's perfect pattern--crouching when he is ready, the explosion out of  
the blocks, the relentless pressure--came to the fore again on Day 12 against 
 Hakuho. Another comfortable win after a chase around the bales had the 
cushions  flying at Ryogoku Kokugikan again. Kotooshu could not suppress flashing a 
couple  of smiles as he made his way back to the changing room.  
His stablemaster was waiting with a firm handshake. "I'm delighted," Kotooshu 
 said in the changing room. "I can't even put it into words."  
Two wins up with three days to play left him in the enviable position of  
being able to wrap up the yusho with a victory on Day 13. A steely Kotooshu  
seemed determined to make things happen: "There's not much use in waiting for my  
opponents to lose." Nobody thought he would repeat his meltdown at the 2005  
Autumn basho, when he squandered a two-win lead over Asashoryu in the final  
three days.  
However, the Kotooshu that turned up on Day 13 was a shadow of the dominant  
rikishi who had swept all before him. Kotooshu lost his composure when  
Aminishiki made him wait at the tachiai. After finally getting their timing  right 
at the third attempt, the ozeki simply stood up without any conviction and  was 
easily pushed back and out.  
After a stern talking to by Sadogatake, Kotooshu blurted out, "I thought he  
would try a sidestep at the faceoff." The old bumbling Kotooshu seemed to have 
 returned. Sumo pundits were all a twitter over which Kotooshu would show up 
the  following day with the title still within reach.  
Some prebout glaring with Ama suggested Kotooshu was fired up and had brought 
 his A-game. Furthermore, his father had flown over from Bulgaria: Another 
tepid  display would not go down well with dad looking on. As it turned out, 
Kotooshu  had an excellent tachiai, got both arms under Ama's and sent him 
tumbling out of  the ring. The Emperor's Cup was his.  
After 15 frantic days--no, make that the 5-1/2 years since he came to  
Japan--Kotooshu had finally lived up to his tremendous promise.  
(From June 2008 issue)  
(Jun. 21,  2008)

 
also
 
>From the Honolulu Advertiser:
 
 
Akebono to promote K-1 event in Hawai'i 
After failing to impress in the K-1 ring, Akebono will look to make his mark  
as a promoter of the mixed martial arts sport. 
The former sumo grand champion will serve as a promoter of the K-1 World  
Grand Prix in his native Hawai'i on Aug. 9, according to the Nikkan Sports  
newspaper. 
Akebono, whose real name is Chad Rowan, became the first foreign wrestler to  
reach sumo's highest rank of grand champion before retiring in 2001 and 
briefly  serving as a sumo trainer. 
He took up a career in K-1 in 2003, but managed only one win in 13 bouts. 
K-1 combines elements of kickboxing, karate, taekwondo and other martial  
arts.
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*****
 
Nobody puts  Asashoryu in a corner 

O



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