Yokozuna Kakuryu relinquished his perfect record and his sole lead Friday in a shock loss to No. 7 maegashira Tomokaze at the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament.
Kakuryu fell into a tie with his fellow yokozuna Hakuho at 12-1 with two days remaining at the 15-day meet at Dolphins Arena. No. 16 maegashira Terutsuyoshi is one win behind the leaders and the only other wrestler with a chance to seize the championship.
Following the initial clash, Tomokaze (10-3) stepped backward, held Kakuryu's head with his right hand before slapping down the yokozuna, who tried to grab the maegashira's belt on the charge but missed.