A sumo wrestler had to take a Lime Bike home after missing his bus, moments after competing at the Royal Albert Hall.
Tobizaru Masaya — also known as The Flying Monkey — is a professional sumo wrestler from Japan who has been a competing since 2015.
The wrestler had been fighting in the Grand Sumo Tournament Final, held at the Royal Albert Hall in London, shortly before the footage was taken.
A video posted on X shows the athlete opting for a Lime bike to get home, while donning a traditional Japanese kimono and being cheered on by entertained onlookers in central London.
You don't see that every day! 😄
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) October 19, 2025
Sumo wrestler Tobizaru - AKA the Flying Monkey - missed the bus after competing in London, so hired a bike instead 🚲 pic.twitter.com/dvu8c2rMIt
The athlete has earned a respected status in the wrestling community and has been praised for his unique fighting style.
Tobizaru, who is below-average in stature for an elite sumo wrestler, uses a push/pull “gorilla” strategy to grapple opponents, which has earned him the title of “The Flying Monkey.”
Social media has been filled with footage of sumo wrestlers enjoying their time in London in between their wrestling at the Royal Albert Hall.
On X, a fan posted footage of another wrestler choosing to opt for a hire bike, like Tobizaru.
The wrestler, this time wearing a black kimono, is seen speeding off into the night in the video, captioned: “The journey back to the hotel goes epic in London: sumo wrestlers on bicycles”
The journey back to the hotel goes epic in London : sumo wrestlers on bicycles 🥰#sumo #sumolondon #sumowrestling pic.twitter.com/GVqH4vmTiN
— Susanna (@SusannaFataki82) October 18, 2025
“This is a common sight in areas of Tokyo where sumo stables are located,” someone commented on the heartwarming footage.
Another added: “Sumo wrestlers are enjoying London! They look very relaxed.”
For only the second time the Grand Sumo Tournament is being staged outside Japan with the five-day event concluding on Sunday as organisers look to capitalise on a worldwide surge in interest in Japan’s national sport.
London’s Royal Albert Hall also hosted the event in 1991 and this time 40 wrestlers (rikishi) took part.
The Royal Albert Hall had to make significant adjustments to cater for the wrestlers, including bringing in new chairs capable of bearing 200kg in weight, as well as installing reinforced toilets.
Around 11 stones in rice has been eaten each day by the competitors with event organisers revealing that the wholesaler being used had run out of noodles because of the quantity ordered.
The wrestlers have been seen across London since their arrival, posing for pictures in front of the Houses of Parliament and Buckingham Palace, riding Lime bikes and even eating hot dogs on Westminster Bridge.
Sumo, which has a ceremonial-religious aspect and dates back more than 1,500 years, will be taken to Paris next year to continue reaching new audiences.
