Young child’s debut in the ring is a knockout!

Sumo wrestlers might look intimidating to a lot of people, especially if you’re a toddler who stands about as tall as one of their knees. However, one toddler in Japan showed he wasn’t scared to approach a sumo wrestler in the ring recently, and not only did he approach him, he bowled him over with the touch of his hand!

The cute moment was captured on video by the Chairman of Kashiwa City Sumo Federation, Akiyoshi Nagai (@rien0514). The clip he shared on Twitter shows his 16-month-old son making his sumo debut in the ring, and judging by his fearlessness and joy during the short bout, this little boy has a big sumo future ahead of him.

▼ Check out the interaction between child and gentle giant in the video below!

As the clip shows, the bout starts just like a real one, with both wrestler and child facing off in the shikiri starting pose.

Though his opponent may be ten times bigger than him, this little wrestler shows no fear as he runs up to square off in front of the large man, reaching up to give him a gentle shove on his shoulder.

That’s all it takes to send the giant rolling backwards out of the ring, and just six seconds after the bout began, this little boy has defeated Goliath!

After the losing opponent dusts himself off, the toddler seems relieved to see that his superhuman strength didn’t inflict any lasting damage on his opponent. The bout then ends with a quick round of applause — literally, as the boy spins around in a full circle, clapping adorably with a grin that’s as giant as the spectators around him.

Since the clip was shared, it’s been viewed over 4 million times, earning a heap of praise from people online.

“This is so cute it made me cry!”
“The self-confidence and satisfaction is adorable!”
“What wonderful wrestlers!”
“Both wrestlers are sweet!”
“This brought a smile to my face. I hope more children will like sumo!”

It’s nice to see that these young wrestlers, who belong to the Kashiwa junior sumo club run by Nagai, are keen to keep the traditional sport alive, especially now when a lot of youngsters are afraid of taking up the sport.

As for the littlest wrestler in their midst, he may have to wait a little while longer to officially join the team, but he can always keep practicing his sumo skills to reap its many benefits.

Source: Twitter/@rien0514 via Net Lab
Images: Twitter/@rien0514
● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!