Silicone Raises Sumo Hopeful to New Heights

To gain the minimum height requirement to be a sumo wrestler, a Japanese teen-ager had 6 inches of silicone implanted under his scalp. Takeji Harada, 16, who failed six previous eligibility tests, finally made it to 5 feet 8 inches in June, thanks to the huge bulge on his head.

The Japan Sumo Assn. said Wednesday that, because of health fears, it will no longer accept aspiring wrestlers who artificially boost their height with silicone implants.