But Egypt’s Abdelrahman Ahmed Shaalan, the first professional sumo wrestler from both the African continent and Arab world, faces some mighty challenges as he embarks on a quest to become a yokozuna, or grand champion.
The man known by the ring name Osunaarashi, which translates as Great Sandstorm, prays five times a day as a devout Muslim, a tough routine given the intense daily training schedule required for sumo’s highly ritualised contests.
Small in number, foreigners are vital members of tradition-bound sumo as more Japanese youngsters with high athletic abilities tend to choose baseball, football and other lucrative or more high-profile sports with less rigid conventions.
Mongolians have been a dominant force in the top ranks for years, although Shaalan is among the sport’s first Muslim competitors.
As such, the 20-year-old does not touch the deep-fried pork cutlets loved by millions of Japanese or drink vast quantities of beer and rice wine sake, staples of a diet that sumo wrestlers rely on to bulk up.
Shaalan, a native of Giza, which is home to Egypt’s pyramids, insisted he was able to train for at least four hours in the daytime during the Islamic celebration.
“I want to become a wrestler who represents Arab and African nations…. My dream is to become a yokozuna,” said the Egyptian, who stands at 189 centimetres (6 ft 2 ins) and weighs 145 kilograms (320 pounds).
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