This year as the second week of the July Tournament was drawing to a close, two men remained unbeaten and by today's final round the Yokozuna, Hakuho with a perfect record went up against the Ozeki Harumafuji also 14-0. Both are Mongolians. Both are tough. This was only the fifth time since the advent of 15 day tourneys that two men came up to the final day without a loss. I was pleased when Harumafuji came up the winner. He's been solid in every match. I've liked him for several years now, since he came up the ranks to win his first Tournament several years ago. He's not huge and he's not pretty, there's a bit of the underdog about him. Tonight though, he's the King of the Ring.
3 comments:
Yes, I have thought it not the most glamorous of sports, but now realise there are rules, strategy, and I wonder, do many go to watch the contests?Do you go, or watch on TV, or other media? Cheers,Jean
Hi Nancy! The special National venue for Sumo is not to far from here by train - less than 20 mins. Three of the tournaments are played there each year. I went once on a ticket I was given. Seats can be pricey, but foreigners often laugh that it costs more to sit on the floor than in a proper seat-floor seating is near the ring. Due to scandal in the past couple years, attendance had dropped, but of the 15 days just finished, 5 were "sold out." There is TV coverage each afternoon and about 2 hours done bilingually. Today's newspaper features a front page picture of the final bout. Keep warm! G
I hope now that all that cheating scandal is done with there will be better sumo bouts. It must have been a great last day!
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