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Hakuhō Shō

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Hakuhō Shō is one of the most famous sumo wrestlers in history.

Hakuho fight Jan08
Hakuho fight Jan08

He was born in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. He is known for being a great athlete with incredible skill. Many people believe he is the greatest sumo wrestler of all time. He won 45 total championships at the top makuuchi division. This is a record that no other wrestler has reached. He also holds the record for the most undefeated tournament championships with sixteen.

Hakuho tegata
Hakuho tegata

This means he finished sixteen tournaments without losing a single match.

To become a great wrestler, Hakuhō had to work very hard. He moved to Japan when he was only fifteen years old. At that time, he was quite small and had no formal training. Because of his size, many training stables would not accept him. Eventually, he joined the Miyagino stable on December 24, 2000. He was given the ring name Hakuhō, which means "white Peng." The Peng is a bird from Chinese mythology.

Hakuho Shiranui dohyo-iri 2012 Jan
Hakuho Shiranui dohyo-iri 2012 Jan

He grew steadily in weight as he rose through the ranks.

His journey to the top was very fast. He made his professional debut in March 2001 in Osaka. By May 2004, he reached the top makuuchi division. In May 2007, he reached the highest rank called yokozuna. He was only 22 years old when he achieved this. He was the fourth non-Japanese person to reach this rank. He also became the second person from Mongolia to become a yokozuna.

Hakuhō vs Gōeidō May 2014
Hakuhō vs Gōeidō May 2014

This was a very big moment for his home country.

During his career, Hakuhō set many amazing records. In 2009, he won 86 matches in one calendar year. He repeated this exact record again in 2010. He also had the second longest winning streak in sumo history. He fought many famous rivals, including fellow Mongolian Asashōryū.

Asashōryū-2
Asashōryū-2

They had many intense matches that people loved to watch. Hakuhō even broke the record for the most wins in the top division in May 2016. He also reached the record for most career wins in July 2017.

Hakuhō's career lasted for twenty years in the sport. He was the longest-serving yokozuna of all time. He fought his 1000th match as a yokozuna in July 2020. He retired from professional sumo at the end of September 2021. Even though he is finished with competition, people still talk about him. Some experts say he is one of the most accomplished athletes ever. He left behind a legacy that may never be matched by anyone else.

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🖼️ Images & Media (5)
File:Hakuho Shiranui dohyo-iri 2012 Jan.JPG
Hakuho Shiranui dohyo-iri 2012 Jan.JPG
File:Hakuho fight Jan08.jpg
Hakuho fight Jan08.jpg
File:Asashōryū-2.jpg
Asashōryū-2.jpg
File:Hakuho tegata.jpg
Hakuho tegata.jpg
File:Hakuhō vs Gōeidō May 2014.jpg
Hakuhō vs Gōeidō May 2014.jpg
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