Women Sumo Wrestlers

Women Sumo Wrestlers

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Open weight sumo wrestler Olga Davydko glares at her opponent before the start of their match, hoping to up the intimidation factor. Unlike Greco Roman wrestling, which is contested at the Olympics and scored based on performance, sumo wrestlers try to force their opponents to touch the ground with any body part other than the soles of their feet, or push them out of the wrestling ring. Most matches only last a few seconds, but some can last several minutes.

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As the referee calls a start, Azumi Okada (right) and Eriko Kawai gaze at each other on the sumo mound.

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Miki Satoyama attempts to flatten her opponent with her body weight.

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Klara Janu warms up against American sumo champion Emanuel Yarbrough, who appears to be three times her size. Not much of a warmup for Yarbrough...

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Female sumo wrestler Miki Satoyama stares down her opponent at the 2010 Japan women's sumo championships in a similar manner to a lion stalking its prey.

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Taunia Arave (left) and Heather Colton battle during the U.S. National Sumo Championships.

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Natalie Burns (left) and Taunia Arave engage in the sumo version of a cat fight.

Natasha Ikejiri (right) tries a new fighting technique in which she smashes her face into her opponent's arm.

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Again, another clever fighting tactic: Natasha Ikejiri appears to headbutt Taunia Arave.

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Russia's Olesya Kovalenko goes for German Nicole Hehemann's neck at the 2006 world championships in Sakai, western Japan.

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Gyongyi Kallo of the Ukraine throws her opponent to the floor.

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Erika Makai of Hungary tries to rearrange the face of Ekaterina Kevb of Russia.

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Female sumo wrestlers roll on the ground as a seemingly-indifferent judge watches over them.

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While these two seem to be hugging it out, they're actually still brawling.

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These middleweights prove you don't have to resemble an elephant to be a sumo wrestler.

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These amateurs are training to be the next generation of sumo wrestlers.

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Veronica Kozlovskaya of Belarus stares down Maria Van Den Brink with the intensity of a tiger and the stance of a frog.

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Luciana Watanabe of Brazil takes down Alina Boykova of Ukraine.

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Nicole Hehemann (right) of Germany attempts to rip off Russia's Svetlana Panteleyeva's mawashi, the formal name of the loin cloths they wear.

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Rie Tsuihiji of Japan prepares to face Ekatarina Keyb of Russia.

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Katherine Hurley of the U.S. bypasses normal fighting techniques and strikes straight at the throat of Germany's Steffi Mueller.

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Adele Jones (left), Steve Pateman, president of the British Sumo Federation, and Becky 'Pink' Williams channel their inner wrestler.

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Auua Zhigalova of Russia throws down Adele Jones of England during their match.