First European Sumo Champion
Japan has a new sumo champion, and this time he is european.
Kotooshu, whose real name is Kaloyan Mahlyanov, said: “I can’t believe it. I’ve let so many chances slip through my hands before”. He became the seventh foreign wrestler to win a tournament. The two reigning grand champions are Mongolian.
Kotooshu, from a village near the city of Veliko Tarnovo, was a European champion at Greco-Roman wrestling by the age of 14, and was expected to compete in the 2000 Olympics until he was spotted by his current stable master, Sadogatake, who persuaded him that his bulk was better suited to the sumo ring.
Kotooshu is the tallest wrestler in sumo, at 6ft 8in. Since his debut in 2002 he advanced to the rank of ozeki after 19 tournaments, faster than any other wrestler in modern sumo history.
This video shows how Kotooshu beat the great champion yokozuna Asashoryu
