9 Mar 2010

Young Sumo wrestler tipped as future champion

4:21 pm on 9 March 2010

A 15-year-old Japanese schoolboy tipping the scales at 145 kilograms is set to make his professional sumo debut in the Osaka grand sumo tournament this weekend.

The national junior high school champion Ryoya Tatsu is 1.93 metres tall and is already being tipped as a future grand champion.

Japanese officials are desperate for the next homegrown grand champion, with the country's last retiring from the sport in 2003.