Ukrainian wrestler wins elite sumo tournament in Japan

Ukrainian sumo wrestler Danylo Yavhusyshyn, 21, known in Japan as Aonishiki Arata, has made history as the first Ukrainian to win the prestigious Kyushu Basho, Deutsche Welle reports.

The athlete and war refugee from Vinnytsia claimed the Emperor’s Cup by winning the top-division tournament on Nov. 23 in Fukuoka, located on Japan’s Kyushu Island.

“Honestly, I wanted to win the tournament, but I didn’t really believe I could. I’m very happy,” Yavhusyshyn said.

Kyushu Basho is one of six major professional sumo tournaments in Japan. It runs for 15 days, with wrestlers competing in one match per day. After the tournament, the overall records are tallied, and if multiple wrestlers finish with the same score, a playoff determines the champion.

“That’s exactly what happened at Kyushu Basho: Aonishiki defeated Mongolian wrestler Byambasuren Sugarragchaa, who competes under the name Hoshoryu Tomokatsu, in a playoff,” reporters said.

Following his victory, Yavhusyshyn may be promoted to the rank of ōzeki, the second-highest title in sumo, just below yokozuna. Unlike yokozuna, ōzeki can be demoted if they post losing records in two consecutive tournaments.

Yavhusyshyn’s rise to the top division was remarkably fast — the fifth quickest since the modern six-tournament system was introduced in 1958. He also became only the second professional sumo wrestler born in Ukraine, after Serhii Sokolovsky, known as Shishi, who competed in the second-tier jūryō division.

Yavhusyshyn began practicing sumo at age seven. After Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, he relocated to Japan with his family, where he continued his career and adopted the ring name Aonishiki Arata, meaning “Blue Brocade,” a symbol of youthful talent and noble strength.