Friday, July 18, 2003
Youngster suffered from cardiomyopathy
Associated Press
TOKYO -- A 15-year-old, 308-pound sumo has died of heart
disease, the first active wrestler in the ancient Japanese sport to
die in three years.
The 6-foot-2 wrestler, identified as Yoshitake Maeda, had been
treated by doctors since April, a Japan Sumo Associated official
told Kyodo news agency.
He died of cardiomyopathy, a problem with the muscles in the
heart, the report said
Phone calls were not answered at the sumo association and the
center where Maeda reportedly was training.
Maeda had passed a health exam to participate in the lower
junior jonokuchi division for the spring tournament in March but
was later dropped from the rankings, Kyodo said. He missed the
summer tournament in May, it said.
"There were no signs of any problems with Maeda when he was
examined as a new wrestler. In the future we would like to carry
out stricter examinations," the association's head medical
official Hiroyuki Yoshida, was quoted as saying.
The sumo association has required wrestlers to undergo medical
checkups after several died of heart problems in 1992. Since then,
10 wrestlers have been ordered to retire from the ring because of
health problems.
