storm from the east

Kim takes gold as Asada takes silver

World champion and overwhelming pre-tournament favourite Kim Yu-Na of South Korea has won the figure skating gold medal in Vancouver, beating main rival Mao Asada of Japan by a massive 23 points. Joannie Rochette of Canada, bravely skating after her mother tragically died before the start of the tournament, won the bronze. Japan's other hope, Miki Ando, was edged out of fourth place by sixteen-year-old Mirai Nagasu, representing USA. 

The women's figure skating has dominated the news in Japan over the last few days, and this is bound to ensure it will continue to do so. Hasn't something also happened with some car company?

Asashoryu retires

Asashoryu, the third most successful wrestler in sumo history, has retired from the troubled sport after allegations he assaulted a man outside a Tokyo night club last month.

“I am proud of being a Yokozuna,” Asashoryu, 29, said, adding that he was retiring in order to take "responsibility for having caused so much trouble”. He declined to comment about the allegations or his future plans. Unlike many foreign sumo wrestlers, Asashoryu has not taken Japanese citizenship, which precludes him from taking any further part in sumo after his retirement as a wrestler.

Asashoryu, whose real name is Dolgorsuren Dagvadorj, made his debut in 1999 and rose quickly, becoming only the third foreigner to become a Yokozuna, following Hawaiians Akebono and Musashimaru. His victory in last month’s tournament was his 25th championship, which places his third on the all-time list behind legends Taiho and Chiyonofuji. Although imperious in the ring, his behavior out of the ring, including scuffles and criticism of other wrestlers, has drawn increasingly negative reactions from coaches, fans and press, who said his actions were not befitting the rank of Yokozuna. He was suspended for two tournaments in 2007 after skipping an exhibition due to injury and later filmed playing soccer in Mongolia with footballer Hidetoshi Nakata.

His retirement leaves sumo once again with a sole Yokozuna, fellow Mongolian Hakuho, and - as stated in an earlier article - comes at a time when the sport is not exactly bursting at the seams with up-and-coming future greats. As Asashoryu was summoned before the sumo association and rumours were circulating that they planned to expel him, it seems to have been a case of jump or be pushed. 

Despite his bad behaviour, Asashoryu remains a very popular wrestler and his retirement is a further blow to a sport already under pressure from waning interest and a lack of home-grown talent.

As Chiyotaikai retires, will the next Japanese sumo star please step forward

Chiyotaikai, the former ozeki has decided to call it quits having lost his final bout against Kaio. Chiyotaikai had been demoted to sekiwake for the New Year Basho, currently underway in Tokyo, and having lost all of his opening bouts, his chances of securing ten wins - thereby ensuring he would regain his ozeki status - were looking increasingly slim. His retirement, however, only adds to more weight the question being asked with increasing regularity: where are the next Japanese sumo stars?

A quick look at the top ranks of sumo, yokozuna, ozeki, sekiwake and komusubi, paints a less than pleasing picture for Japanese fans looking to restore some national pride to their ancient national sport: both yokozuna are Mongolian, only two of the four ozeki are Japanese (Harumafuji is Mongolian and Kotooshu is Bulgarian), Estonian Baruto is currently the sole sekiwake and another Mongolian, Kakuryu, is one of the two komusubi. The last Japanese yokozuna was Takanohana, who retired in 2003, and the latest Japanese wrestler to win a tournament was Tochiazuma back in November 2006. With interest in the sport waning as the domination of Asashoryu and Hakuho continues, many are asking which of the current crop of Japanese wrestlers can challenge them.

Ozeki Kaio, it has to be said, is not likely to be one of them. Rumours of his imminent retirement have been circulating for the last couple of years and, at 37 years old, he surely can't have many more tournaments left in him. He lifted his last Emperor's Cup in 2004 and, as he has recently surpassed legendary yokozuna Chiyonofuji's record of 807 victories in the elite makuuchi division, his motivation to stay active may not be so strong.

Vibram FiveFingers: Redesigning footwear

Some design concepts break the mould and have influence over a wide spectrum of activity, with the Vibram FiveFingers shoes falling squarely into that category. Designed by Robert Fliri and released in 2006, the shoes quickly became something of a cult hit, but the publication of books like Born to Run by Christoper McDougall last year have pushed their popularity through the roof.

There are currently seven models of the FiveFingers available, with more planned, and the uses that people put them to continue to grow. They are used for water sports, yoga, climbing, walking, martial arts and trekking, but it is perhaps the barefoot running community that has embraced them with the most passion. On any website or forum about running barefoot, you are sure to find discussion of Vibram's FiveFingers (VFFs). One site, birthdayshoes.com, is dedicated to them. Even Wired magazine featured them.

So what's all the fuss? Why would you want to wear a funny-looking, not inexpensive pair of shoes with a wafer-thin sole and no support? The main reason is that these shoes mimic the sensation of going barefoot, which many people – especially runners – are claiming not only cuts down on injuries, but also leads to a more efficient, less stressful style of running. Without going into a lot of detail, there is evidence that suggests the built-up heel on modern running shoes could actually lead to the injuries they claim to prevent. At the very least, putting a pair of these on your feet is bound to get you noticed.

The delay in writing about the FiveFingers is mainly because your intrepid editors have been trying these shoes out for the last few months – Richard is currently running up to 15km a time in them and enjoying running for the first time in his life, while Ryo is sporting them on the streets of Paris, Milan and New York. We're loving them. And that's the point.

These shoes may represent a paradigm-shift in footwear design, they may change the way we think about running, they may look crazy and they may be tricky to get on an off (at first), but at the end of the day, the one thing that all their owners seem to agree on is this: they're great fun.

http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/

Masato beats Souwer in last fight

Masato, Japan's most-successful kick-boxer, has brought his illustrious thirteen-year career to an end with a win over Holland's Andy Souwer.

The fight was a rare five round K-1 match, which gave Masato's legions of fans an extended opportunity to see him in action; and action they got. In stark contrast to some of the other out of shape fighters on the less-than Dynamite line-up, both Masato and Souwer showed why they are both worthy ex-champions.

Masato took the first round, with the second and third more even. The fourth, however, saw Souwer put down by a right counter, although he quickly recovered and came back strongly against Masato for the rest of the round and in the fifth. Masato was ahead on points all the way and took the fight by decision. Immediately after the result was announced, Souwer hoisted Masato onto his shoulders in a display of sportsmanship and respect, and afterward, the retiring thirty-year-old received gifts from well-wishers - including Souwer and his son - and signed autographs for waiting fans.

The night also saw the MMA debut of judo gold medallist Satoshi Ishii, whose fight with forty-year-old Hidehiko Yoshida was a pretty lacklustre affair which, more than anything, showed that both lack stamina.

Tony Hawk: RIDE

Skateboarding and design are two things very close to our hearts, so when we heard that two giants of these respective fields - Tony Hawk and Yves Behar - had worked together, it was enough to pique our interest.

'RIDE' is a groundbreaking wireless skateboard controller designed by Behar for the new Tony Hawk: RIDE video game. Using a combination of accelerometers and motion sensors, the intuitive controller allows players to physically control the action by performing various movements and gestures on the board that directly translate into amazing tricks in the game. Without complex button combinations or analog sticks, gamers of various skill levels can literally step on the board and play.

For more information visit Tony Hawk: RIDE

K-1 Grand Prix 2009

Semmy Schilt, right, has been crowned 2009 K-1 Champion after stopping both last year's champion and this year's favourite.

The heavyweight division has been somewhat of a snoozefest of late and Schilt has borne much of the criticism, but there was no time for boredom to set in last night as most of the fights ended in first-round knockouts. First up was the much-anticipated repeat of Badr Hari v Ruslan Karev, which Hari convincingly won by stopping the Russian under the two knock-down rule. He faced Alistair Overeem next, in another anticipated rematch, and once again stopped the big fighter in the first round. Schilt's road to the final was almost as straightforward, flooring veteran Frenchman Jérôme Le Banner with body kicks and then seeing off a lacklustre Remy Bonjasky, last year's controversial champion.

The final, then, was contested between a Dutchman accused of being boring and a Moroccan who is anything but. Hari started - as per usual - going straight for the kill, but Schilt deflected much of the onslaught and caught Hari with a left jab that sent him to the floor. Hari beat the count and once again went on the offensive, but he was hurt and a thunderous high-kick from Schilt sent him to the canvas for the second time. As the final was contested under the three knock-down rule, Hari got the chance to fight on, but Schilt soon floored him for a third and final time to claim the champion. Boring or not, Schilt proved that he is still very much a force to be reckoned with, equalling countryman Ernesto 'Mr Perfect' Hoost in claiming his fourth title.

Toyota Leaves F1

Despite earlier claiming that the team was committed to Formula One, Toyota announced today that it is quitting the series with immediate effect.

The withdrawal of the company comes just two days after tyre maker Bridgestone also announced their departure from F1 and, as Honda has already left, it means that there will be no Japanese automaker involved in the sport. It also throws the future of drivers Kazuki Nakajima and Kamui Kobayashi into doubt, although team principal Tadashi Yamashina said that he "will let Nakajima and Kobayashi race in other teams". Kobayashi in particular, who was standing in for the injured Timo Glock, has looked impressive in his outings for the team.

It is not only F1 that is seeing an exodus of Japanese automakers, however, as Suzuki and Subaru have withdrawn from the world rally championship, motorcycle maker Kawasaki has left the MotoGP series and Mitsubishi is quitting the Dakar Rally.

Although Toyota announced that they would be cutting their F1 budget, the announcement that they were quitting has come as a surprise, especially as they were recently trying to sign big-name drivers like Kimi Raikkonen. For fans of F1, however, the departure may not be such a shock. Toyota entered F1 in 2002 and, due to its very deep pockets, was tipped to become a championship challenger almost immediately. However, in 139 grands prix it has failed to win a race its best result in the constructor's championship was fourth - back in 2005.

Anthony Pappalardo

Anthony Pappalardo, one of the stars of Lakai's groundbreaking Fully Flared film, recently took to the streets of New York on a rather interesting skateboard contraption - the circle board. Enjoy.

Aside from being a great skateboarder (check out this clip), Pappalardo has also just finished his first solo exhibition of furniture and artwork, Virgin White, also in New York. Constructed using a labour intensive block-by-block process, his stools and tables are handmade using a variety of woods, creating pretty stunning, well made pieces.

Toyota 'Not Leaving F1'

Despite stating that only a race win this season would guarantee continued participation, Toyota's Formula 1 bosses have been assured that the company is not planning to follow fellow Japanese manufacturer Honda out of the sport.

The signing of the Concorde Agreement recently commits the team to F1 for the next three years, although extensive budget cuts are planned, with up to a third of this year's budget expected to be lost. John Howett, Toyota's F1 president, remains optimistic for the future and feels that the elusive win could come at their home Grand Prix at Suzuka, where they are planning to unveil a "fairly big upgrade" to the car.

Surfing and Design: Bob McTavish

For anybody who doesn't think that surfing and design are linked, we direct you to Drift Magazine's interview with legendary longboard designer Bob McTavish, who sheds a little light on the design process that goes into producing his boards and how computers are continuing to revolutionize the process.

http://www.mctavish.com.au/

http://www.driftsurfing.eu/