Keiko-Asashouryu loses to Juryo rikishi!

[Kintamayama 47,180]

Today, Juryo champion Hakuhou the Mongolian (who looks like he's going to be the first teenage shin-new-maku since Tochiazuma in Kyushu 1996) got his first virtual kinboshi. During keiko he had five bouts against the Yokozuna, and beat him in the third bout, causing a lot of excitement on the grounds. He actually picked Asa up and beat him by abisetaoshi. This of course sent Asa into a frenzy (he "bared his teeth" was the exact wording..), and he beat Hakuhou in the next two matches. "I was surprised (actually startled- "bikkurishita" was what he said) by my win. I want to acquire speed like the Yokozuna's by the time I hit Makuuchi", he said.

Papers are saying that Asashouryuu, who feels no one in Makuuchi at this point poses any danger to him, is checking out the many up- and -coming rikishi, to see what's where and how. (Hagiwara and Kotooushuu yesterday, Hakuhou today, etc..)

Edited April 10, 2004 by Kintamayama

[Mark Buckton 1]

Today, Juryo champion Hakuhou the Mongolian (who looks like he's going to be the first teenage shin-new-maku since Tochiazuma in Kyushu 1996) got his first virtual kinboshi. During keiko he had five bouts against the Yokozuna, and beat him in the third bout, causing a lot of excitement on the grounds. He actually picked Asa up and beat him by abisetaoshi. This of course sent Asa into a frenzy (he "bared his teeth" was the exact wording..), and he beat Hakuhou in the next two matches. "I was surprised (actually startled- "bikkurishita" was what he said) by my win. I want to acquire speed like the Yokozuna's by the time I hit Makuuchi", he said.

Papers are saying that Asashouryuu, who feels no one in Makuuchi at this point poses any danger to him, is checking out the many up- and -coming rikishi, to see what's where and how. (Hagiwara and Kotooushuu yesterday, Hakuhou today, etc..)

Interesting post - thank you.

In it however is the main reason I feel Asashoryu to have no major competition at this point in time and to be destined for many more zensho / yusho alike - he continually keeps his eye on the pack. No resting on his rank / laurels for this guy.

He watches (by appearing to help) many young up and comers and learns their strengths before perhaps they know their own.

Who was it said - 'know thine enemy' (or something along those lines)??

[Kintamayama 47,180]

More on this today: Hakuhou picked him up, had him on the edge, Asa fought back, but was abisetaoshied at the center of the dohyo. "I have never been 'tsuried' (picked up in the air) before in my career. Hakuhou has strong legs. The expectations are great!", he said, seemingly proud actually of his younger number. "It's the first time I've beaten him. I'm happy", said Hakuhou. Hakuhou owes a lot to his father, a wrestler who won a silver medal at the Mexico Olympics. At 15, Hakuhou ran the 100 meters at 11.3 seconds. "I'd like to fight Sanyaku rikishi in Natsu", he said, pretty sure of his Makuuchi promotion, I guess.. So, after last Basho's "red" (Asasekiryuu), will we see some "white" (Hakuhou) in the next one??

Edited April 11, 2004 by Kintamayama

[Yoavoshimaru 0]

Interesting stuff. We can assume Asashoryu wasn't going at 100%, but still a nice display of power and guts from Hakuho. And that 100m dash speed is excellent, but not necessarily corresponding to speed on the dohyo as the stances and muscles are different (I'm sure this forum's official Doctor can explain more if he desires :-D )

[Xris 2]

At 15, Hakuhou ran the 100 meters at 11.3 seconds.

If this is true, it's enormous (it's only 2/10 off the French record for that age). It would mean that the intrisic speed of Hakuko is really exceptional! :-)

[Kaikitsune Makoto 210]

We can assume Asashoryu wasn't going at 100%

We can??

Does that mean that in your mind the equation "Asashoryu goes 100% = He can't lose" stand? :-)

Don't underestimate Hakuho. It is not only KaioU or Kotomitsuki who can beat Shoryu without getting sighs of "Oh! Shoryu was not 100%!". Hakuho has all the tools in the world. Just like Kasugao or even Aminishiki. Then again what tools does Tamanoshima have to beat present-day Shoryu? Ah! Rikishi who would be Shoryu's nightmare: Aminishiki + 10kg of additional muscle! Now there would be Shoryu's nightmare. Only reason Ami hasn't been able to beat Shoryu (yet) is that his power just doesn't seem to be quite enough to the final kill. All else he has in his bouts against Shoryu. Yep yep.

And that 100m dash speed is excellent, but not necessarily corresponding to speed on the dohyo as the stances and muscles are different (I'm sure this forum's official Doctor can explain more if he desires

If that forum's official Doctor refers to me, I will refer to the topic about the usage of -zeki in cyber rikishi world. Whereas I don't see -zeki usage here as problematic like Adachi did for example, I feel a bit like Daaramu did when he was called "zeki" despite the fact that he was just training in a heya and lightyears from sekitorihood which would give the zeki-concept a meaning. Calling me a doctor sounds nice in a way as that is what I want to become with all my heart, liver, spleen and thymus but it also makes me feel very strange being still a student and very far from being a real doctor.

I think 11.3 at 100m => lot of white muscle fibres => no significance what the discipline is, muscles work fast and genkily. Long distance runners have more of red muscle fibres. Hakuho probably admires lightnings and maintains his white muscle fibres' performance with speed work outs even now. Some strong makuuchi rikishi are very explosive too btw. Asashoryu is one but also Chiyotaikai and KaioU are explosive types. Both have very strong and *fast* shoulder area and especially KaioU ran very fast in rikishi olympics few years ago. I dare to say Musoyama has fast muscle fibres too. Tochiazuma has very fast arms. He would have been good at stick handling in hockey. He also trains speed by running stairs!

Kotonowaka is an example of slow twitching giant. It is not necessarily easy to judge the natural explosiveness or a rikishi compared with explosiveness developed to limited maximum with refined keiko. Taikai didn't develop his tachi-ai explosiveness without very good basal speed to start with and on the other hand some rikishi are bound to stay undynamic no matter how they really train.

I doubt it is even possible to become a sanyaku regular without enough white muscle fibres and inherited ability to gain explosiveness. Behemoths excluded as Akebono, Maru and Konishiki were already so huge that speed isn't necessarily needed anymore but hard to say. Maybe their presence served also as a negative signal to rikishi and growth became too essential in some rikishi's minds at the expense of speed. On the other hand excessive speed may have been the weapon against them. It is just that many rikishi commented they need more bulk to compete against Hawaijians. Speed is never a burden in sumo.