Yokozuna Hakuho bounced back from his first loss and collected his 10th win of the Spring Grand Sumo Tournament on Wednesday to remain in a two-way tie for the lead with rank-and-filer Aoiyama.
The Mongolian-born yokozuna charged out of the gates in the final bout at Edion Arena Osaka and plowed straight through his Day 11 opponent, komusubi Hokutofuji.
Hakuho (10-1) is chasing a record-extending 44th title but hit a roadblock when he gave up the sole lead after a shock upset on Day 10.
The other co-leader, No. 13 Aoiyama, kicked off Day 11 action in the top division by beating rookie Kotonowaka and retaining a shot at his maiden title.
Aoiyama (10-1) was nearly pulled down by the lowly No. 18 maegashira in his initial charge, but the Bulgarian recovered and used his 193-kg frame to drive Kotonowaka (7-4) to the straw and thrust him out.
The next rung on the leaderboard also remained the same, with Kakuryu headlining a group of four on the heels of Hakuho and Aoiyama.
The 15-day grand tournament is being held behind closed doors for the first time in the sport’s history to help prevent the spread of the new coronavirus.
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