History has been made in the Sumo Wrestling world with the victory of Bulgarian wrestler Kotooshu (koh-toh-OH-shu), the first time a wrestler from Europe has won a Sumo Championship. Born Kaloyan Stefanov Mahlyanov in Bulgaria, he was a successful wrestler in his home country, but when his weight increased past 120 kg, the maximum for participating in the Olympics, he decided to try his hand at sumo wrestling instead after participating in a few bouts as a joke. He climbed the ranks in the sumo world quickly, attaining the 2nd highest level of ozeki after only 19 tournaments, the most rapid rise of a wrestler starting from the lowest rank. (There are six tournaments held each year, three in Tokyo and one each in Osaka, Nagoya and Kyushu.) His handsome good looks and relatively low weight of just 152 kg / 334 lbs — compare that to Hawaiian wrestler Konishiki, who was a massive 264 kg / 580 lbs — have earned him many fans, and the nickname “the David Beckham of sumo.” His wrestling name of Kotooshu combines the traditional Japanese musical instrument koto with the kanji name for Europe, Oshu. The top sumo wrestlers are always quite famous in Japan, appearing on TV commercials and talk shows, and I’m sure we’ll be seeing plenty of this wrestler from now on. He’s even won his first first sponsor: Meiji’s Bulgaria brand of yogurt, which makes a lot of sense.
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