TOKYO: Akebono, a Hawaiian who was the first foreign-born sumo wrestler to become a grand champion, has died aged 54, US officials and Japanese media said Thursday.Born Chad Rowan in 1969, Akebono was among the most successful sumo wrestlers of the 1990s.He reached the sport's highest rank of yokozuna, or grand champion, in 1993 and became a Japanese citizen in 1996.Akebono won 11 tournaments before retiring as a wrestler in 2001 to train younger fighters.He died in early April after heart... Read this story
