ORIGINS INTERNATIONAL MARTIAL ARTS FESTIVAL

On August 27, 2011, Sumo became part of the prestigious Origins event, with a full sumo tournament at the martial arts competition.

The Women's Openweight Champion, Natasha Ikejiri, walked home with sponsor prizes, and the massive Origins trophy!

The Men's Lightweight Champion was Luis Hernandez, while Robert Daniel of Tennessee led the Men's Middleweight Division, finishing just ahead of two imposing Mongolian opponents.

The Men's Heavyweight division featured a half dozen athletes from the USA, Tonga, and Canada. Big Joe of Tonga went undefeated for the gold medal, while Joshua Petersen of Utah took silver, and Brodi Henderson of Canada hung on for bronze.

Most exciting was the Men's Openweight competition, wherein the larger field was whittled down to four semi-finalists, each from a different country, including Big Joe (Tonga), Bobbi Chuluunbat (Mongolia), Brodi Henderson (Canada), and Robert Daniel (USA).

Big Joe continued his undefeated streak for gold, and the massive Origins trophy, while Bobbi, one of the lightest competitors, grabbed silver, and Robert Daniel took bronze. Impressively, two of the top three openweights were actually middleweight competitors!

We look forward to ongoing sumo collaboration with the Origins International Martial Arts Festival in the years to come!

The sumo competition was supplemented by a training session on the previous day, where several competitors got a chance to hone their skills.

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