"Sumo Legend Akebono, Hawaii-Born Yokozuna, Dies at 54"
Taro Akebono, the first foreign-born sumo grand champion, has passed away at the age of 54 in Tokyo. Born in Hawaii, he achieved the title of yokozuna in 1993 and went on to win 11 grand championships, contributing to a resurgence in the sport's popularity. A towering figure at 6-foot-8 and 466 pounds, Akebono's success set the stage for an era when foreign-born wrestlers dominated Japan's national sport, and his rivalry with Japanese champions Takanohana and Wakanohana was a major driver of sumo's renewed popularity in the 1990s.
