ANKARA 

Hakuho Sho, the most decorated sumo wrestler in history, has announced his retirement after a 20-year career, according to local media.

The Japan Sumo Association accepted Hakuho's retirement request, the Kyodo news agency reported on Thursday.

The 36-year-old sumo wrestler, who was born in Mongolia, holds the record for most grand sumo tournament wins with 45. He became a Japanese citizen in 2019.

He has been battling with an injury for some years and had knee surgery in March.

Hakuho held the "Yokozuna" rank, which is the highest in sumo, for 14 years and 84 tournaments.​​​​​​​

In addition to his 45 grand sumo championships, Hakuho bagged 1,187 career wins.

In January, Hakuho (6 feet 3 inches, 341.7 pounds) contracted coronavirus.