Grand champion Asashoryu survived a determined charge by Chiyotaikai yesterday to win the Spring Grand Sumo Tournament with a perfect 15-0 record, sweeping through his second straight basho without a loss.
Chiyotaikai brought an almost-perfect 13-1 record into the final bout of the day at Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium. But almost perfect wasn't good enough against Asashoryu, who gave ground after the initial collision but recovered to pull down the fired-up ozeki.
It was the 30th consecutive victory by the 23-year-old Mongolian yokozuna, who lifted his sixth Emperor's Cup.
"I was just doing what came naturally to me, wrestling without trying to think about it too much," Asashoryu said in a post-tourney interview. "I have just one thing to say: thank you, Osaka."
Ozeki Kaio and high-flying maegashira Asasekiryu finished alongside Chiyotaikai with 13 wins.
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