Hawaii-Japan Tournament

[hunterb@interpac.net (Hunter Bishop)]

SUA WINS 8TH HAWAII STATE TITLE

Hideo Sua won his eighth Hawaii state championship Sunday at Bishop Museum
in Honolulu. Sua, a six-foot, 325-pounder from Mililani, bested Sione
Pulotu of Kahuku by yorikiri in a rematch of last year's final, also won by
Sua. Polutu, a member of the U.S. national team, was the biggest rikishi in
the tournament at 485 pounds.
More than 30 Hawaii sumotori competed in the Men's Open division, which
took place in conjunction with the 20th annual Japan vs. Hawaii Goodwill
tournament.
Fifteen of Japan's top collegiate rikishi beat Hawaii's best in the
tournament, nine matches to six, which is nevertheless among the better
performances ever in the tournament by the Hawaii team.
Fifteen Hawaii School wreslters returned last month from the first-ever
U.S. High School sumo tour of Japan, where they competed with high school
and college wrestlers in Osaka and Kyoto, and trained with yokozuna Akebono
at Azumazeki-beya.
One of the Hawaii wrestlers on that trip was recent Kahuku High School grad
Buddy Toupo. On Sunday the 190-pound Toupo won the High School Lightweight
and Novice division, the Open Lightweight division, and placed second in
the Open High School division. For his efforts Toupo was awarded the first
Marvin Arruda Memorial Fighting Spirit Prize.
Arruda was a living legend in Hawaii sumo and a five-time state champion
during the 1960s from Hilo who was tragically killed in an industrial
accident in January at age 52. His brother Douglas, one of five Arruda
brothers who were all sumotori, presented the trophy to Toupo.
Faasea Mailo, also a recent Kahuku High grad, won the Open High School
division. The 6-foot,320-pound Mailo is an all-state lineman attending the
University of Southern California this fall on a football scholarship.
Tsuyoshi Tanabe of Tokyo Nogyo University won the all-Japan copetition by
defeating Kenro Nakashima in the final.

- from "Hawaii Sumo News"
©1996 Daishima Publishing

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Hunter Bishop
Hawaii Sumo News ~ hunterb@interpac.net
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