A retired pair of Russian wrestlers, who forged very different paths in professional sumo, have recently found themselves in the news for strikingly similar reasons.
Anatoly Mikhakhanov (ring name Orora) and Nikolai Ivanov (Amuru) made headlines both nationally and globally over the past few months, and have become part of a growing debate about weight and health in Japan’s national sport.
Mikhakhanov, who won roughly half of his 750 bouts in a 19-year career, was mostly known for being the heaviest wrestler in sumo history. After two nondescript decades in the sport’s lower divisions, he retired in 2018, moved back to his hometown in Siberia and has since built a sizeable social media following, documenting life in the Russian Far East.