Editorial
Hawai'i takes pride in Akebono's career

Sumo yokozuna Akebono is now officially retired. His topknot has been cut off — in a ceremony televised to millions in Japan.

The pride of Waimanalo, Hawai'i and Japan has come to the end of a stellar and fabled 13-year career in the ranks of sumo wrestling.

When Chad Rowan first went to Japan as a youth of 18, his future looked anything but certain. He struggled. Even his mother wondered if he was tough enough to make it. But Rowan never gave up. He developed grit and determination, working the long hours needed to not only persevere but achieve greatness.

In four years he became only the second foreigner to reach the rank of ozeki. In 1993, he reached yokozuna, the highest rank in his sport and an achievement no other foreigner had attained.

But that greatness reached beyond the sumo ring.

In too many sports, our so-called heroes offer little to look up to. Akebono stood tall in his sport and in life because of his hard work, humility and innate dignity.

For sumotori, the topknot is a badge of distinction in a prestigious sport. "The first time they put your hair up in that, you feel special," Rowan has said. "You feel like you're somebody."

The topknot is gone, but Chad Rowan of Waimanalo will always be somebody special. Hawai'i is proud of you, Akebono.