Meet the Canadian who's seeking stardom in Japan's sumo world
So when Brodi Henderson, a six-foot-seven 20-year-old from Victoria earned a spot on a team in the Nihon Sumō Kyōkai (Japan Sumo Association) in February, it was big news. Not only is the 360-lb. wrestler the illustrious league's only current North American member, he's also the first Canadian to join its highly exclusive ranks in nearly 30 years. When Henderson arrived in Japan, he was an instant celebrity; a score of reporters greeted him at the airport, his face graced the front page of a local newspaper and he was even featured in a comic strip.
His time in the Japanese limelight didn't last long, though. At the training centre, a monastery-like environment where he lives with other wrestlers, Henderson sleeps on the floor, rises at 5:30 a.m., works out for hours and maintains a high-calorie diet. He has virtually no phone or Internet access; he's allowed to write one letter home per month.
"It's awfully tough when you're isolated like that," Lee Henderson, Brodi's father, said this week. "But it's a great opportunity for him."
Henderson discovered sumo in his mid-teens after years spent playing hockey, football and lacrosse. He studied judo as well, but was forced to stop when coaches were concerned he'd accidentally injure his opponents. At 15, already more than six feet tall, he competed in his first sumo open.