Sumo Sensation

At age 14:

IN a sport dominated by the biggest men in Japan, an Australian girl has become one of the biggest names in sumo wrestling.

Samantha-Jane Stacey, 14, has claimed a world championship silver medal - the first Australian to do so in almost three decades.

She battled through five bouts with a sprained ankle at the weekend's championships in Estonia to win silver in the junior women's division.

...Samantha-Jane has been sumo-wrestling for two years and before that was trained in wrestling.

Her mother Sue hit back at critics of her daughter's weight saying she led an active life, playing netball as well as competitive sumo wrestling.

Ms Stacey said her daughter's weight was due to a medical condition rather than a junk food diet.

"The only takeaway food she eats is sushi - we're not takeaway people," Ms Stacey said.

"She probably eats less than my eldest daughter, who's a size 8.