While the so-called Asashoryu era of complete dominance is a thing of the past, the Hatsu Basho saw the 28-year-old prove there is life in the not-so-old dog yet.
In beating fellow yokozuna Hakuho, a man five years his junior, Asashoryu surprised many and achieved what most thought would be impossible following a 2008 to forget. Winning just one basho last year, a lot of sumo fans and experts were predicting an early retirement. As he has done so often in the past, though, Asashoryu defied predictions, came roaring back (even if his actual performances were less convincing than those in his '05-'06 heyday) and went into the final weekend ahead of the pack.
In the end, it was down to the wire. His 14-0 record going into the final day meant that he only needed to defeat Hakuho (13-1 before their bout on Day 15) to win outright. Instead, he was thrown to the dirt by his fellow yokozuna and the scores were therefore leveled at 14-1 apiece. In the subsequent playoff, however, he managed to wrap Hak up, force him upright and over the edge to claim his 23rd career yusho, and his first since March 2008.
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