Many, many thanks to everyone who has already contributed to our campaign. Your donations have created new opportunities for Giselle to develop her sumo skills!

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Unlike the big men of professional sumo, amateur athletes compete in weight divisions like other martial arts. Giselle is a lightweight, but she has a big passion for sumo.

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Giselle spent 2024 in Hyogo, Japan on a student exchange where she embarked on her sumo adventure, training with the Kwansei Gakuin University Sumo Club. She was the only female in an all male club, working hard to learn technique and training with boys sometimes nearly twice her weight. Her dedication paid off and she achieved 3rd place in her division in her first competition and went on to compete at the All Japan Women's Sumo Championships as well.

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Her story has been reported in the Asahi Shimbun, and Japan Times newspapers, a pre-eminent sumo magazine as well as a national Japanese TV program featuring students doing extraordinary things.

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Giselle is now back in Australia studying at university, but she is still training and wants to continue to compete. There are limited opportunities here in Australia, so we are raising funds to cover travel expenses for her to compete at:

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• International Women's Sumo Selection Tournament in Osaka, April 2025
• Oceania Sumo Championships in Sydney, April 2025
• Sumo World Championships in Thailand, September 2025
• Women's sumo championships in Japan in June, July and October 2025 (including the All Japan Women's Tournament)
• Giselle also wants to explore more training opportunities with Japanese women's sumo clubs to gain valuable experience that will improve her fighting skills.

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At the start of every sumo match the referee exclaims, "Hakkeyoi!", encouraging the wrestlers to fight with spirit.

Giselle always, always fights with spirit.

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*Photos courtesy of John Gunning, The Japan Times