Japanese wrestler Shogo Uozumi was thrown into the air by a large opponent and ended up face-down in the sand in a dirty alleyway in the Senegalese city of Thies. Then Uozumi stood up, picked himself up, and joined the surrounding gathering of masked wrestlers. Uozumi grinned and assumed a fighting stance once more. After representing his country at the national level in Greco-Roman wrestling, he moved from Tokyo to Thies last year to learn the Senegalese wrestling style known as Laamb and to teach local talent about the Olympic version of the sport. "Every time I train, I feel myself getting stronger," he said, catching his breath. "I feel a lot of joy and growth within me." Anchored in ancestral war rituals, Laamb has evolved from a post-harvest pastime into Senegal's national sport. It blends physical combat and acrobatics, with victory marked by an opponent's back touching the ground. Uozumi learned about the sport of wrestling when travelling to Senegal in 2017 with a Japanese assistance organisation. He was also fascinated by cultural parallels, such as hospitality, known as Teranga in Senegal and Omotenashi in Japan. Uozumi has resided in Thies, Senegal's third-largest city, with a group of wrestlers ever since moving there permanently in 2022. Additionally, he has established a school where he is assisting thirty-two youngsters in getting ready for the 2026 Youth Olympics.