Ryūkō Gō Explained

隆濤剛
Ryūkō Gō
Birth Name:Luis Gō Ikemori
Birth Date:26 May 1968
Birth Place:São Paulo, Brazil
Height:184frac=2NaNfrac=2
Weight:161kg (355lb)
University:Takushoku University
Heya:Tamanoi
Record:167-150-26
Debut:May, 1992
Retireddate:January, 1999
Highestrank:Jūryō 8 (March, 1995)

Ryūkō Gō (born 26 May 1968 as Luis Gō Ikemori) is a former sumo wrestler from São Paulo, Brazil.

Career

As a youth, he did judo, turning to sumo at age 16. At age 18, he went to Japan and won an international tournament, and in 1990 competing for Takushoku University he became the first Brazilian to win the Japanese National Collegiate Sumo Championship.[1] He turned professional in May 1992, joining the Tamanoi stable. He was the first foreign wrestler ever to be granted makushita tsukedashi status, meaning that because of his amateur sumo achievements he could start at the bottom of the third highest makushita division. He reached elite sekitori status in March 1994 when he was promoted to the jūryō division. Ryūkō was his final shikona or fighting name – he was also known as Ikemori and Ryūdō. His highest rank was Jūryō 8, achieved in March 1995. He had Japanese parentage and adopted Japanese citizenship on 22 April 1996 (the same day as Akebono). Having fallen down the banzuke rankings, he retired in January 1999. He has remained in Japan, working for a Tokyo business.

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Brazil's Japanese Preserve Sumo and Share It With Others. Benson. Todd. 27 January 2005. New York Times. 16 March 2016.