Jigjidiin Monkhbat, the father of yokozuna Hakuho, passed away recently. A legendary figure in Mongolian wrestling, the six-time Naadam festival champion was also a silver medalist at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City.
Monkhbat's son, if anything, has surpassed his legendary father.
Hakuho has 40 top-division titles (and counting) and holds almost every single sumo record of note. His good bloodline, however, wasn't enough to overcome skepticism when trying to join sumo back in the winter of 2000.
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