Helen Delpopolo has long been a competitor of amateur sumo, winning multiple golds at the US Sumo Nationals and performing very well at the World Sumo Championships. Readers of NorthAmericanSumo.com also know that Helen is the current president of the United States Sumo Federation (USSF) – the primer sumo organization of the USA. She is the first female president and the youngest president ever; however, Helen will tell anyone that these achievements mean little to her if she cannot obtain yet another achievement – the greatest president ever.

Helen has already made great strides towards spreading sumo across North America, and she is currently preparing for the World Sumo Championships in Hawaii (2019) as well as The World Games in Birmingham, Alabama (2021). She was nice enough to sit down for an interview with NorthAmericanSumo.com, which resulted in our longest interview yet (over a hour!). In it, Helen discusses her activities as USSF president, the relationship of the USSF with the International Sumo Federation, her history of competing in both sumo and judo, and a whole lot more.

Click on the YouTube video below to play the interview, but also be sure to check out the United States Sumo Federation website. Anyone reading this website is likely a fan of sumo, so please consider becoming a member of the USSF. Sumo can only spread across America with your help!

As always, contact NorthAmericanSumo@Gmail.com if you have any interview requests.

Helen Delpopolo vs. Jenelle Hamilton – US Sumo Nationals 2015

Helen was able to grab silver in the openweight division at the US Sumo Nationals 2015 by pulling down lightweight senshu, Jenelle Hamilton.

Helen Delpopolo vs. Sonya Del Gallego – US Sumo Nationals 2015

And she was able to grab gold in the middleweight division at the US Sumo Nationals 2015 by throwing Sonya Del Gallego!