Brodi Henderson is making a big impression in Japan, The six-foot-seven, 20 year-old from Victoria, British Columbia is “the only sumo wrestler ever with blond hair” according to his father Lee Henderson. And at 360 pounds he is hard to miss.
“We were standing outside, and people would recognize him from newspapers and TV. They would get out of their cars and hand him their infants and babies, and take pictures with him.” Lee Henderson told CBC News.
From practising sumo in his backyard as a boy, Brodi Henderson has improved steadily and dramatically since his first competition in the United States at the age of 15.
“The only sumo wrestler ever with blond hair.”
Andrew Freund, director of USA Sumo, witnessed the “marked improvement” each year Brodi Henderson returned to competition. A sign of his dedication to the sport, Freund said.
The learning curve began with videos on YouTube as Brodi taught himself. Then his father got involved: “We built a sumo ring in our backyard and started humping around 45-gallon (170-litre) jugs of water” explained Lee Henderson.
Last year, after winning his weight class in the U.S. Sumo Open, Brodi Henderson was chosen to join the Japanese Professional Sumo Association. Training at this level includes sleeping on the floor with 20 other elite wrestlers.
Henderson, however, is not the first sumo wrestler from British Columbia. John Tenta of Surrey, British Columbia made his mark in the sumo world in Japan in the 1980’s before returning to North America as a professional wrestler known as The Canadian Earthquake.
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