The Americans Who Made Sumo History
Never before have Americans had success on the international stage in Sumo Wrestling.
She stood at the edge of the ring, on her tip-toes, before leaning forward ever so slowly. Everything was done with focus, carefully, like a ritual. She clapped her hands together, and a few short moments later, the ref started the fight.
It was over in less than five seconds.
Kellyann Ball, an accountant from Orange County, became the first American woman to ever win a medal at the World Sumo Championships. She did so for her performance in the heavyweight division, the most competitive category in the field. And to add to the day’s celebration, she led an American team that won bronze in the team category.
“I’m in disbelief,” Ball said.
Ball and three teammates had travelled to Tokyo, in sumo’s ancestral home, for the championships. It’s fair to say that few would have ever expected this to be the squad that broke through for the United States on the international scene. Together, they represented a sort of ‘Bad News Bears’ of sumo wrestling. But together, they had just the right combination of power and technique to break through.
Joining Ball was Madison Guinn, a Houston native competing in just her fourth tournament ever.
“I train at WAR training center in Houston Texas,” Guinn told the Japan Times. “It’s an MMA gym; we don’t have any sumo. I just train MMA and hope it transfers.”
There was 20-year-old Etan Perez, who was introduced to the sport just 6 months ago while at a Japanese food festival in Dallas.
“I showed up in all of my metal and all my chains, and my ripped skinny jeans and I was like ‘Can I try it out?’ They put me in a mawashi and explained the rules to me," Perez said. "I got my ass whooped, but I thought it was fun, so I was like ‘You know what? Let me join this.’ So now we’re here."
When Perez showed up here—in Tokyo for the World Championships—she couldn’t help but feel a little out of her element. “I saw the people, and I was like, ‘Oh no, they are so much bigger than me,’” Perez said. “But my teammates kept encouraging and so I did the best I could. I was scared throughout the whole thing.”
In the end, though, they made history, and for the first time ever, put a red-white-and-blue stamp on a sport with over 1,500 years of history.
And even more important than a medal, said Guinn: “We showed that we do belong here.”
🏏 The Cricket World Cup started this week in India. It’s the perfect time to watch Gotham Chopra’s 30 for 30 “The Little Master,” on Sachin Tendulkar and the last time India hosted cricket’s most important tournament. It’s streaming now on ESPN+.
🤠 Coach Prime is on the cover of Time Magazine. Do you believe?!
♟️ “Some play checkers. These guys play chess,” writes Sam Farmer in this fun story about the chess champion who trains NFL quarterbacks in his spare time.
😮 Ladies and gentlemen…is this the best uniform in sports?
