His nickname ‘Tiny’ might be an ironic one now, but the world’s heaviest athlete is hoping to slim his 51 stone frame with one eye on retirement.

With a physique that you wouldn’t normally associate with a seasoned sportsman, sumo wrestler Manny Yarbrough weighs the same as three Usain Bolts combined.

But Manny, who has a staggering 76 inch waist, says he wants to lose weight ahead of his retirement from the sport next year as he fears that his weight will balloon further when he becomes less active.

Meet ‘Tiny’: Sumo wrestler Manny Yarbrough is the Guinness World Record holder for the title of ‘world’s heaviest athlete’ – but he is hoping to slim down for retirement

Larger than life: Manny, who has a 76 inch waist, weighs the equivalent of more than three Usain Bolts

Heavy: Manny weighs in at 719lb, or a staggering 51 stone

He fears that gaining any more weight will lead to serious health problems and doesn’t want to face the embarassment he suffered when he an airline ticket was cancelled because of his size.

Manny has banished convenient takeaways and eats food such as eggs or yoghurt for breakfast before driving to the gym for an intense workout.

He says although he has had days where it has felt easier to pack in competing and let his weight get the better of him the sportsman inside won’t give up.

Manny said: ‘I got up to 58 stone at one point. It was when I hit that mark I knew I had to lose some weight it just wasn’t right.

Aiming to bow out on a high: Manny hopes to retire next year, but not before becoming sumo world champion

In training: Manny now avoids takeaways and is undertaking a strict training regime

‘It got to the point where I was barely able to move around and would go long stretches inside the house because I couldn’t do anything else.

‘At first I knew I had to shift some weight but I was still able to compete at little. Thinking longer term though I knew it was wrong and had to think more about my health and find other ways to get an edge over my competitors as although the weight helped I wasn’t able to move well – I got too big to compete.

He added; ‘I haven’t set a target weight loss as I am worried I might not feel how had expected then I hit that number so I’m just working towards what I feel good at.

‘I’m desperate to get back to my best college shape in time for the nationals next year – it’s the sportsman in me that never give up attitude.

‘It’s a challenge, I had to give it a shot because of that inner athlete in me pushing me to do it.

‘Once I retire it’s about a quality of life I want to have. I had a ticket cancelled on me on a flight to Italy a few years ago and haven’t flown since through fear it would happen again.

‘Nobody wants to go through that kind of embarrassment so it’s something which drives me forward.

‘I’m desperate to go back to the UK and I’ve always wanted to go to Spain so I have other ambitions once I finish competing.’

Since the age of six Manny always knew he was different to most children and had to remember to hold back while playing with others so he didn’t hurt them.

Towering: Manny, who is pictured with a sports team at high school, says that his weighted ballooned when he took up sumo wrestling

But now, Guinness World Record holder Manny uses his size to his advantage as he grapples and pummels other giant athletes inside the Sumo ring.

By the time he was 12-years-old Manny was already a staggering 5ft11in and 18 stone and by 15 he had shot up to 6ft4in and put on a further five stone.

He never puts his size down to eating junk food or being lazy, instead insisting it’s a mixture of genetics and an abundance of food during his childhood.

Growing up in Rahway in New Jersey, USA, he spent a lot of time with his aunt who prepared super-sized meals for his older cousins.

Yet Manny was always active which kept him healthy. He loved playing sport whether it was football, baseball, American football or wrestling before finally becoming hooked on Sumo.

It was after picking up Sumo his size ballooned. By the time he was 25 he weighed a whopping 36 stone which steadily crept to more than 43 stone as the rigours of Sumo training took hold.

Now the 6ft7in ‘World’s Heaviest Athlete’ title holder has set his sights on winning the US national Sumo title in 2014 before bowing out from competition.

He said: ‘When I was a child I played every sport I could but I was always the ‘big kid’ – it was just my luck in life.

‘I’d do what everybody else did growing up but from the age of about six I knew I was bigger than the others and probably always would be.

‘When we were playing with friends I had to remember to hold back so I didn’t hurt anyone.

‘It’s partly down to genetics as it isn’t just weight I have always been tall too. People never used to pay attention to the nutritional value of food and I was growing pretty fast so needed to eat.

Always big: Manny, who is pictured at school, says that he became aware that he was bigger than the other kids from the age of six

Slimming down: The sumo wrestler has been heading to the gym every morning after breakfast

He added: ‘My aunt would make big breakfasts because my cousins went out to work – but I wasn’t accustomed to that I just hung out and ate with them.

‘During my late teens college sport kept me in shape because I trained on a consistent basis. I was running five miles daily, jogging stadium steps and ate whatever I wanted but I was always active so didn’t affect me until I stopped for any reason.

‘My weight increase happened naturally and I used Sumo as an excuse because there was a lot of eating involved to bulk up.

‘It never stopped me doing things. I loved competing and getting inside the ring is the greatest feeling – I just enjoy what I do so much.’
Read more: Daily Mail