One of the few. Svetlana Panteleeva. -a five-times world

champion in the middleweight;

-the strongest sumo wrestler on the planet;a silver medalist at the 2004 World Championship in the team competition;

-a champion in 2000 and in 2007.

The first meeting.

I didn’t recognize her when I first saw her. Although I knew that Svetlana is in a category up to 80 kg (in principle, it is not that much), in my mind she was a big girl of a brutal appearance. I have never thought of sumo wrestlers as pretty people, but she was very pretty, even I can say glamorous.

First, Svetlana was sent to dancing school, where she had been studying for four years.- «I did not like it. A teacher was young, with ambitions. Yes, in general, I knew it» Of course I did everything, but I would like just to get rid of this choreography!However, I must admit that in judo ,the choreography classes were very helpful. Svetlana came to a section flexible, with a good stretch . Two months later, she won the first place in the city competition.

Memories.My coach got a call from the Sumo Federation that asked him to find athletes. He decided that I could be there. Two weeks later I went to an international tournament in Tver. On the way to Tver for the first time I was reading the rules of sumo, and in Tver I saw, a mawashi .

I remember I went out with a smile, so it was all fun. The ritual was so funny. I laughed and at the same time fully understand that it's mine.At the European Championship Svetlana was the third. In 2001 she was invited to the Federation of Judo and she chose judo.

To cope with health problems.

“…The knee was aching badly, the doctors could not understand what was the matter. And Svetlana for the second time failed to organise a team in judo. Then the operation, a long recovery. In 2003, she returned to the Sumo and immediately became the second in the championship of Russia.”

As an experiment, I decided to experience the power of sumo. Svetlana has agreed to fight with me. Doha, however, was an improvised square, out of the ordinary school mats.We have almost the same weight category.

Katinanori

I joined Svetlana at her training session. She showed me some of her wrestling techniques and revealed some sumo secrets.