Yokozuna

The Yokozuna is the highest rank in professional sumo wrestling, a Japanese sport where the objective is to force an opponent out of a ring or make them touch the ground with any body part other than their feet. This title signifies a "grand champion" and is awarded through a complex ranking system. The list of men awarded this title begins with Akashi Shiganosuke in 1632. Athletes are specially trained and fed a protein-rich diet to develop immense size and strength, though agility is also important. Bouts are often very brief, despite elaborate pre-match rituals. Akebono was the first non-Japanese person to achieve this rank in 1993.12