TOKYO—Triumphantly pounding his chest as he slammed his feet down in the ring for the first time in weeks, former U.S. president Jimmy Carter was reportedly back on the elite sumo wrestling circuit Monday, despite have undergone hip surgery less than a month ago. “It was tough for Jimmy to be away from the sport this long, so it’s been a huge relief to see him recover from his injury and get back into fighting form,” said Carter’s trainer, Daisuke Watanabe, expressing surprise at just how quickly the 94-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner was able to throw his opponent out of the ring and improve his rank from sekiwake to ōzeki. “I know it hasn’t been easy for him to resume his old routine of strength training and consuming 20,000 calories per day, but he’s made absolutely remarkable progress. The fact that he’s getting used to a new prosthetic hip and can still muster the power to lift his opponent in the air and toss him off the dohyō is nothing short of amazing. It couldn’t have come at a better time, either, because the sport was really missing a lot in his absence.” After winning his match, sources reported the 39th president was seen lounging shirtless in the locker room sauna, sweating it out with several of his 500-pound rivals.

Advertisement