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Asashōryū Akinori (朝青龍 明徳, born September 27, 1980 as Dolgorsürengiin Dagvadorj, Mongolian: Долгорсүрэнгийн Дагвадорж) is a sumo wrestler (rikishi) from Ulan Bator, Mongolia. He is the 68th yokozuna in the history of the sport in Japan and became the first Mongolian to reach sumo's highest rank in January 2003. He is one of the most successful yokozuna ever,[1] and has won 24 top division tournament championships to date, equal third on the all-time list. In 2005 he became the first man to win all six official tournaments (honbasho) in a single year. From 2004 until 2007 Asashōryū was sumo's sole yokozuna, and had been criticised at times by the media and the Japan Sumo Association for not upholding the standards of behaviour expected of a holder of such a prestigious rank.[2] Following a number of controversies, he became the first yokozuna in history to be suspended from competition in August 2007, after he participated in a charity soccer match in his home country despite having withdrawn from a regional sumo tour claiming injury.[3]
[edit] Early careerAsashōryū comes from a family with a strong background in Mongolian wrestling, with his father and two of his elder brothers all achieving high ranks in the sport.[4] He also trained in judo in Mongolia.[5] He originally came to Japan as an exchange student at Meitoku Gijuku High School in Kochi Prefecture, and he trained at the sumo club there.[6] He was recruited by the former ozeki Asashio of the Wakamatsu stable (now Takasago stable), who gave him the shikona of Asashōryū, literally "morning blue dragon,"[7] Asa being a regular prefix in Wakamatsu stable. He made his professional debut in January 1999. At that time fellow Mongolians Kyokushūzan and Kyokutenhō were in the top division and stars back in their home country, but Asashōryū was quick to overtake them both. He attained elite sekitori status in September 2000 by winning promotion to the jūryō division, and reached the top makuuchi division just two tournaments later in January 2001. In May 2001, he made his sanyaku debut at komusubi rank and earned his first sansho award, for Outstanding Performance. In 2002, Asashōryū put together back to back records of 11-4, 11-4 and 12-3 and was promoted to sumo's second highest rank of ozeki in July.[8] In November 2002, he took his first top division tournament championship (yusho) with a 14-1 record. It took Asashōryū only 23 tournaments from his professional debut to win his first top division title, equal to the fastest ever.[9] In January 2003 he won his second straight championship and shortly after the tournament Asashōryū was granted the title of yokozuna, the highest rank in sumo.[10] His promotion coincided with the retirement of the injury-plagued Takanohana, last Japanese born yokozuna to date.[11] [edit] Yokozuna careerWhile his first tournament as yokozuna ended in a disappointing 10-5 record, he has since won a further twenty-one tournaments. Combined with his two yusho as an ozeki, he has twenty-three career championships in the top division.[12] This already puts him in fourth place on the all time list, behind only Taihō, Chiyonofuji and Kitanoumi.[13] [edit] 2003Asashōryū nominally shared the yokozuna rank with Musashimaru, but in fact his rival only fought a handful of bouts in 2003 due to injury.[14] The two did not meet in competition all year. Asashōryū won his first championship as a yokozuna in May 2003 and came back from an injury sustained in the July tournament to win his third title of the year in September.[15] Musashimaru announced his retirement in November, leaving Asashōryū as sumo's only yokozuna.[11] [edit] 2004 Asashōryū began 2004 with two consecutive perfect 15-0 tournament wins (zensho yusho) in January and March.[16] Nobody had attained zensho yusho since 1996; yet Asashōryū has gone on to add three more such titles since 2004, for an career total of five. Only Taihō, with eight, and Chiyonofuji and Kitanoumi with seven, have recorded more 15-0 scores.[17] His unbeaten run continued into the first five days of the May 2004 tournament, giving him a winning streak of 35 bouts in total, the longest run since Chiyonofuji's 53 in 1988. Although he was then upset by maegashira Hokutōriki, he gained revenge by defeating Hokutōriki in a playoff on the final day to claim the championship.[18] On November 27, 2004, Asashōryū became the first wrestler to win five tournaments in a year since Chiyonofuji achieved the feat in 1986, and won his ninth Emperor's Cup.[19] Asashōryū's below average 9-6 score in the Autumn basho of 2004, the only one he did not win, was attributed in part to the official ceremony for his marriage, which was held in August 2004 (although he had actually married in December 2002). The hectic social round that inevitably follows Japanese weddings affected his pre-tournament preparations, as it prevented him from doing any training.[16] [edit] 2005 He continued to dominate sumo in 2005, becoming the first wrestler ever to win all six honbasho (sumo tournaments) in the same year. The great yokozuna Taihō achieved the feat of six consecutive tournament victories twice, but never in a calendar year.[20] Asashōryū lost only six bouts all year (0-1-0-2-2-1). One of those rare losses came on September 11, 2005 at the start of the Aki Basho when he dropped his first Shonichi (Day 1) bout during his tenure as yokozuna. On November 26, 2005 a visibly emotional Asashōryū wept after winning his eighty-third bout of the year, (surpassing Kitanoumi's record set in 1978) and clinching the tournament at the same time.[21] The six championships of 2005 (including two more 15-0 wins in January and May) combined with his victory from the final tournament of 2004, meant Asashoryu became the first man in sumo history to win seven consecutive tournament championships.[21] [edit] 2006Asashōryū's consecutive basho streak came to an end in January 2006, when ozeki Tochiazuma took the first tournament championship of the year.[22] Asashōryū's performance in January was a surprisingly poor 11-4 but he successfully rebounded by winning the March tournament.[23] However, his six losses in those tournaments matched his loss total for all of 2005. In the May tournament, he sustained an injury to the ligaments in his elbow on the second day falling off of the dohyo in a surprising loss to Wakanosato and was visibly slow to rise from the ground.[24] He was absent from the tournament the next day and later released a statement confirming he was withdrawing from the tournament.[25] Doctors told him he would not be able to compete for two months, which meant he would miss the July tournament as well.[26] However, Asashōryū was ready by the start of the July tournament and won with a 14-1 record. In the following tournament, Asashōryū won his eighteenth career title with a 13-2 record.[27] He also won the final tournament of 2006 for his nineteenth career title, the fifth he has won with a perfect 15-0 record.[28] [edit] 2007In January 2007, Asashōryū posted a 14-1 record, his fourth straight championship since returning from injury, and became the fifth man to win twenty career championships.[29] In March, he dropped his first two bouts but then won thirteen in a row for a 13-2 score. However, this was not enough to win the title—he lost a playoff for the first time in his career, to fellow Mongolian Hakuhō.[30] In May he turned in a below par 10-5 record, losing to all four ōzeki and maegashira Aminishiki (although he appeared to be carrying an injury). Hakuhō won this tournament as well and was promoted to yokozuna immediately afterwards.[31] Asashōryū had been the sole yokozuna for a total of 21 tournaments since the retirement of Musashimaru in November 2003 - the longest period of time in sumo history. In July he lost to Aminishiki once again on the opening day but rallied to win the next fourteen bouts, taking his 21st title with a 14-1 record.[32] He was suspended by the Sumo Association from the next two tournaments (see below). [edit] 2008 Asashōryū returned to tournaments in January 2008. On the final day, he faced Hakuho in a battle of 13-1 Yokozunas, but was defeated, giving him a final record of 13-2.[33] In March the two Yokozuna faced off for the title again on the last day, marking only the fifth time in the last 30 years that two Yokozuna have contested the championship on the last day of two consecutive tournaments.[34] In this rematch, Asashōryū was the victor, winning his 22nd title, thus equalling Takanohana's haul of tournament championships.[35] In the May tournament he lost to Kisenosato on the opening day. He injured his back in this match and subsequent losses to Kotoōshū (the eventual winner of the tournament) and Chiyotaikai put him out of contention.[36] Asashoryu got off to a bad start in the July tournament by losing to Toyonoshima on the first day. After a second loss to maegashira Tochinonada on day five, he pulled out of the tournament on the sixth day citing pain in his elbow.[37] The September tournament unfolded in a similarly poor fashion. After compiling a lacklustre 5-4 record through the first nine days, Asashōryū forfeited his tenth-day match to maegashira Gōeidō and withdrew. He had elbow pain, and presented a medical certificate.[38] He returned to Mongolia in October 2008, staying until shortly before the tournament in Kyushu in November, which he did not enter. He stated that he would not withdraw for a third time partway through a tourney, and suggested that he would retire if his comeback proved unsuccessful.[39] [edit] 2009 The January 2009 honbasho, Asashōryū's first full tournament since May 2008, was a remarkable success. He won his first fourteen matches, losing only on the last day to Hakuhō. He then won the resulting playoff to earn his 23rd championship and pass Takanohana on the all-time list to become the fourth ever wrestler to have won 23 tournaments[40](the other three being Taihō, Kitanoumi and Chiyonofuji). His victory came exactly twenty years after yokozuna Hokutoumi also returned from three tournaments out to win the championship with a 14-1 record. Sumo Association head Musashigawa described Asashōryū's comeback as "amazing." Ticket sales and television ratings showed a marked increase as his winning run continued.[41] After his playoff win Asashōryū announced to the crowd, "Everyone, thank you very much. Really. I am back."[41] In the following tournament in March he went undefeated for the first nine days but then lost to three of the five ozeki over the next five days, putting him out of contention for the championship. He also lost his final day match to Hakuho to finish at 11-4. In the May tournament he lost early to Aminishiki, then won ten in a row before falling to Harumafuji on Day 14. He again lost to Hakuho on the final day, finishing at 12-3.[42] Asashōryū returned to Mongolia after the May tournament to receive treatment for a bruised chest suffered in his defeat to Harumafuji. In June he received the Hero of Labour Award from outgoing Mongolian President Nambaryn Enkhbayar, the highest government award in Mongolia and equivalent to the Japanese People's Honour Award.[43] He performed poorly in the July tournament with a 10-5 record, his worst finish in just over two years. He damaged ligaments in his right knee during a regional tour of Akita in August 2009 (the first time he has injured his knee), hampering his preparations for the September tournament.[44] Despite this, he won his first 14 matches, before finally losing to Hakuhō, leaving both wrestlers at 14-1. Asashōryū would win the resulting playoff to win his 24th yusho, tying him with Kitanoumi for third on the all-time yusho list. The triumph took place on his 29th birthday.[45] [edit] Suspension After his tournament victory in July 2007, Asashōryū decided to skip the regional summer tour of Tōhoku and Hokkaidō beginning on 3 August because of injury. The medical forms submitted to the Japan Sumo Association indicated that injuries to his left elbow and a stress fracture in his lower back would require six weeks of rest to heal.[46] However, he was then seen on television participating in a soccer match for charity with Hidetoshi Nakata in his homeland of Mongolia. He was reported to have done so at the request of the Japanese Foreign Ministry and the Mongolian government.[47] However, the suggestion that he had exaggerated the extent of his injuries to avoid his duties on the exhibition tour caused a media storm. Asashōryū was ordered to return to Japan and on August 1, 2007, the Sumo Association suspended him for the upcoming September tournament as well as the next one in November, the first time in the sport's history that an active yokozuna has been suspended from a main tournament. They also announced that Asashōryū and his stablemaster Takasago would have their salaries cut by 30% for the next four months.[3] He was also instructed to restrict his movements to his home, his stable, and the hospital.[48] Isenoumi, a Director of the Sumo Association, called Asashōryū's behaviour "a serious indiscretion. Given that a yokozuna should act as a good example for the other wrestlers, this punishment for his action is appropriate."[49] Asashōryū responded by saying he would get his injuries treated and prepare for the winter regional tour and the January 2008 tournament.[50] However, his stablemaster reported that Asashōryū was finding the severity of the punishment difficult to deal with,[51] and two doctors from the Sumo Association diagnosed him as suffering from acute stress disorder, and then dissociative disorder.[52] On August 28 he was allowed to return to Mongolia for treatment.[53] After recuperation and onsen treatment, he returned to Japan on November 30, 2007, apologising for his actions at a press conference.[54] [edit] Other controversies Before this incident, Asashōryū had been criticized for other infractions of the strict code of conduct expected of top sumo wrestlers, both on the dohyo and off it. In July 2003 he pulled on Kyokushūzan's mage (traditional Japanese top knot) during their bout on Day 5 of the tournament, resulting in an immediate hansoku-make, or disqualification. He was the first yokozuna to be disqualified from a bout. They reportedly brawled in the communal bath afterwards, and Asashōryū was also accused of breaking the wing mirror of Kyokushūzan's car.[55][56] Some Japanese fans called on him to "go back to Mongolia".[55] In July 2004 he apologised after a row with his stablemaster over his wedding arrangements resulted in him being seen drunk in public and damaging the stable property.[57] His other divergences from the norm include being photographed in a suit (instead of a traditional Japanese costume), failing to attend the funeral of Takasago stable's previous head coach, complaining to judges after losing a decision, and refusing to adopt Japanese citizenship.[58] Asashōryū was criticised for injuring Toyonoshima during some intense practice sessions (keiko) just before the May 2007 tournament.[59] Some other high-profile wrestlers have avoided training with Asashōryū, fearing injury.[60] The May 2008 tournament ended on a controversial note, when Asashōryū gave Hakuhō a shove after the bout was already over, and the two glared at each other.[61] The following day the head of the Sumo Association saw both yokozuna separately and gave each a strict warning.[62] In July 2008 he used his position as head of the wrestlers union to call for all salaried rikishi to be given a pay rise of ten percent (which would be their first pay rise since 2001) to compensate for the rising cost of food and fuel.[63] The Sumo Association were reportedly unimpressed with his remarks.[64] In August 2009 he was criticised for refusing to board a bus transporting wrestlers to training on the summer tour, saying he did not want to risk catching the H1N1 flu strain which has infected several rikishi.[65] In both the January and September tournaments, Asashōryū was chastised by some members of the Yokozuna Deliberation Committee for raising his arms in celebration after winning his championship bout, behaviour which they saw as unbecoming of a yokozuna.[66] Both his stablemaster and Asashōryū himself later apologised for these incidents.[67] [edit] Match-fixing speculation and lawsuitsIn January 2007, The Shūkan Gendai, a weekly tabloid magazine, reported that Asashōryū had paid opponents about ¥800,000 ($10,000) per fight to allow him to win the previous November 2006 tournament with a perfect score. Asashoryu denied these claims in court on October 3, 2008, during the first ever court appearance by a yokozuna.[68] He appeared as part of a lawsuit brought by the Japan Sumo Association and about 30 other wrestlers seeking around ¥660 million ($8.12 million) from Shūkan Gendai's publisher, Kodansha Ltd.[69] He said the allegations were "complete lies... I am very sad and disgusted."[68] Also appearing in court, in defence of the magazine, was former wrestler Itai, who had made similar allegations of bout-fixing in 2000 regarding his own career. Itai suggested that Asashōryū's win over Chiyotaikai in the November 2006 tournament was an example of a fixed match.[70] On March 26, 2009, the Tokyo District Court ordered Kodansha, the publisher of the magazine, and Yorimasa Takeda, the freelance writer of the articles, to pay 42.90 million yen ($437,000) in damages, believed to be the highest award for libel damages against a magazine in Japanese history.[71] Chief judge Yasushi Nakamura stated that the reporting was "slipshod in the extreme."[71] [edit] Fighting styleAsashōryū was a relative lightweight early in his career, weighing just 129 kg in 2001, and relied on speed and technique to compete against often much heavier opponents. However, he has gradually put on weight since then and as of 2009 is about 148 kg (326 pounds), right on average. He now tends to confront his opponents head on with the intention of out-muscling them. In training, he is reported to do multiple repetitions of biceps curls with 30 kg dumb-bells, and whilst in the gym with NHK commentator Hiro Morita in 2008 he reportedly bench pressed 200 kg. Asashōryū's favoured techniques are listed at the Sumo Association as migi-yotsu/yori, a left hand outside, right hand inside grip on his opponent's mawashi (belt), and tsuppari, a series of rapid thrusts to the chest.[72] His most common winning kimarite throughout his career have been yorikiri (force out), oshidashi (push out), uwatenage (outer arm throw), shitatenage (inner arm throw) and tsukidashi (thrust out).[73] He has used 45 different kimarite in his career, a wider range than most wrestlers.[73] In July 2009 he defeated Harumafuji by an "inner thigh throw" or yaguranage,[74] a technique not seen in the top division since 1975. His trademark, however, is tsuriotoshi, or "lifting body slam",[5] a feat of tremendous strength normally only used on much smaller and weaker opponents. In 2004 Asashōryū twice dumped the 158kg Kotomitsuki using this technique.[73] [edit] FamilyAsashōryū's brothers are also active in combat sports: Dolgorsürengiin Sumiyaabazar is a mixed martial arts fighter, and Dolgorsürengiin Serjbüdee, a professional wrestler, competes in New Japan Pro Wrestling under the name Blue Wolf (after the Mongolian Blue Wolf legend). All Dolgorsüren brothers have strong backgrounds in Mongolian wrestling. Asashōryū first met his former wife in high school when they were both 15 years old.[75] They have two children, a girl and a boy. They were divorced in early 2009, having reportedly been separated for several years.[76] [edit] Top division record
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