Sumo wrestler Danilo Iavhusishin said this Monday (24) that he surprised even himself by becoming the first Ukrainian to win a prestigious tournament in this ancient Japanese sport.
The 21-year-old, who fled the war in Ukraine three years ago, won the Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament, after defeating Mongolian champion Hoshoryu in a tiebreaker on Sunday (23).
The victory earned Iavhusishin, known by his stage name Aonishiki, his first title in just his 14th competition.
This week he will be promoted to the second highest rank in sumo, that of ozeki, an achievement that he says has exceeded his expectations.
“To be honest, I wanted to win the tournament, but I really didn’t think I could,” he told reporters in Fukuoka. “I am really happy.”
Iavhushishin was born in central Ukraine, started practicing sumo at the age of seven and became national champion at 17.
His age allowed him to narrowly escape mandatory military service in Ukraine, imposed on men over 18, when the war with Russia began. He then sought refuge in Germany, before moving to Japan.
His parents remained in Germany and he arrived in Japan without knowing a word of the language.
Iavhusishin said he spoke to his parents after winning the tournament and that he also received “a lot” of messages from friends in Ukraine.
“It’s going to take a while to respond to everyone, but I’ll start doing it one by one after this,” he said.
Iavhusishin became the second Ukrainian professional sumo wrestler when he debuted in July 2023, following in the footsteps of his compatriot Serhii Sokolovskyi, better known as Shishi.
Iavhushishin’s rise to the top divisions of ancient Japanese sport was the fifth fastest since the introduction of the current system of six tournaments a year in 1958.
The Ukrainian kept his hopes of winning the title at the Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament alive by defeating Hoshoryu in the penultimate round and then beating the Mongolian again to claim the crown.
“It was the last tournament of the year, so I wanted to do my best to not end the year with regrets,” said Iavhushishin. “I’m happy I was able to attack from a low position like I’m known for doing.”
