As expected, Asashoryu, the highest-ranked competitor in the field and reigning Grand Champion, captured the overall crown after winning a title on Sunday. He, also, have been performing the ceremony before the contest starts, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The opening ceremony can be only performed by a Grand Champion.

"It's not just fat guys in diapers dancing in a circle," said Hiro Ichioka, one of dozens of Japanese journalists covering the competition. The athletes' training regimen ranks among the most structured in the world. Many sumo wrestlers begin training at age 15, rising before 5 a.m. to perform chores. All are subject to a strictly enforced code of conduct and, unless they are married, live in dormitories with their teammates.

The sumo wrestlers follow strict daily routine and culinary habits in order to gain pounds. Most sumos consume 5,000 calories a day, with 10,000 calories a day not uncommon. Sometimes beefing up requires force feeding. Each meal portion equals that of five normal people. They also wake up early morning to start training. Some of them start their day at 5am every single day, follows a strict training regimen until 10am, taking a bath and eat lunch. They usually eat the last meal of the day at the usual dinner hour.  Some of the every day meals consist of  chanko(*), a stew-type mix of fish, beef, rice, Chinese cabbage, daikon radish, eggplant, leeks, onions, carrots, shiitake mushrooms, cakes of fresh tofu, soy saude, sake, salt and udon noodles. Beer, omelets, shrimp dumplings and fried chicken usually complement meals.

Some sumo wrestlers regularly ate 6 to 10 bowls of chanko, plus 8 huge bowls of rice, about 130 pieces of sushi and 30 portions of barbecued beef.

Grand Champion Asashoryu eats, as a treat, pasta or hamburgers. He also had eaten the pufferfish takifugu, a Japanese delicacy known as fugu that can kill if improperly prepared.

Midday naps follow the huge meals and are vital to packing on pounds.

(*) Shanko dates to at least the late 19^th century. Its nutrients are designed to add density to the bones, the Japanese believe.

Asashoryu Profile
Born: September 27,1980 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
Height 6 feet, ½ inch
Weight: 322 pounds
Given name: Dolgorsuren Dagvadorj
Style: The first Mongolian yokozuna (higest rank of Sumo),  which he was granted January 30, 2003, relies on speed and technique to defeat foes who are usually much heavier.

Resume:
At the final day of the Autumn Basho Tournament on September 25^th in Rokyo, he secured his sixth consecutive Emperor’s Cup, or season championship – matching a 38-year-sold record.

The Rebel:
He has drawn criticism by being the first yokozuna to be disqualified in a match for pulling an opponent’s hair and has been photographed in a suit instead of a traditional Japanese costume. He also has refused to adopt Japanese citizenship.