The world’s lightest active professional sumo wrestler has gone viral after losing his debut match in just four seconds to an opponent nearly three times his weight.

Shinmichi, a 15-year-old from Japan, weighs just 57kg (126lbs), making him considerably smaller than most of his competitors.

However, there are no weight classes in professional sumo wrestling, meaning competitors of vastly different sizes can face one another.

This became painfully clear when the youngster stepped into the ring for his first official match in the sport’s lowest division on November 9.

During the Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament in Fukuoka, Shinmichi faced 21-year-old Toramusashi, who stands 185cm tall and weighs 150.4kg (332lbs).

This gave his opponent a weight advantage of more than 93kg, as well as an extra 20cm in height.

Despite the difference in size, Shinmichi charged straight at his opponent as the contest began. But Toramusashi barely moved before overpowering the youngster and pushing him out of the ring in just four seconds.

Speaking to Japanese outlet Sports Hochi afterwards, Shinmichi admitted that his opponent’s strength had caught him off guard and that he should have moved faster.

The defeat quickly attracted attention online, with clips receiving millions of views as many were stunned by the enormous size difference between the two competitors. However, Shinmichi’s journey into professional sumo is remarkable in itself.

According to Nikkan Sports, he had no previous sumo experience and initially failed to meet the usual physical requirements of 167cm in height and 67kg in weight.

Instead, he qualified by passing an alternative athletic ability test, having previously trained in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

He also competed in preliminary matches in September, winning one of his three matches before entering the lowest professional division in November.

He previously revealed that he hopes to eventually weigh over 100kg, but insisted that he wants to become known for his wrestling ability rather than his unusually small size.