War refugee Aonishiki becomes first Ukrainian to win top sumo championship

Ukraine-born wrestler Danylo Yavhusishyn, also known as Aonishiki Arata, is the first from his country to win an elite-level sumo championship in Japan.

Ukrainian sumo wrestler Danylo Yavhusishyn on Sunday became the first from his nation to win a tournament of the traditional Japanese sport.

The 21-year-old, who fled the war in Ukraine three years ago, won the Kyushu tournament after a tie-breaking victory over grand champion Hoshoryu from Mongolia.

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Known by his ring name Aonishiki Arata and speaking fluent Japanese, he told fans at Fukuoka Kokusai Center in his televised victory interview that he was glad he was able to show his usual performance.

“I am happy that I am able to achieve a goal of mine,” he said.

Yavhusishyn, who arrived in Japan three years ago after fleeing Ukraine, has climbed the sumo ranks at record speed.

The Japan Sumo Association will soon hold a special meeting to promote him to “ozeki”, the second-highest ranking after “yokozuna”, or grand champion, national broadcaster NHK said.

Yavhusishyn competed in the world junior sumo championships as a teenager but left Ukraine after Russia’s February 2022 invasion.

He arrived in Japan two months later and made a blistering start to his career, reaching sumo’s upper divisions in only a year and winning promotion to the fourth-highest rank.

Yavhusishyn was born in central Ukraine and took up sumo at the age of seven, becoming a national champion at 17.

His age meant he narrowly avoided Ukraine’s military draft for men aged 18 and older when war broke out, and he sought refuge in Germany before moving to Japan.

His parents stayed in Germany, and he arrived in Japan knowing nothing of the language.

Yavhusishyn became the second Ukraine-born professional sumo wrestler when he made his debut in July 2023, following in the footsteps of compatriot Serhii Sokolovskyi, better known as Shishi.

Yavhusishyn’s promotion to sumo’s upper divisions was the fifth fastest since the current system of six tournaments a year was introduced in 1958.

The ambitious wrestler said he now has his sights on reaching the top of the sumo hierarchy.

“I am happy (now) but there is one higher status. I want to work toward that,” he said.