Tributes paid to wrestler, who was born Chad Rowan and became the sport’s first non-Japanese grand champion in 1993
www.theguardian.com
..born Chad Rowan in Hawaii, is regarded as a pioneer after he broke down cultural barriers in the centuries-old sport to become the first non-Japanese
yokozuna grand champion in 1993.
Japanese media said the wrestler, who took the name Taro Akebono when he became a Japanese citizen in 1996, had died of heart failure this month, citing a statement by the US Forces in Japan.