TOKYO (AP) — Ukrainian sumo wrestler Aonishiki has become the first from his country to win an elite-level sumo championship.
Even more impressive, he defeated Hoshoryu on Sunday in the decisive match of the Kyushu tournament in western Japan.
Hoshoryu was born in Mongolia and is one of the top-ranked wrestlers in Japan’s national sport.
The other is Japanese-born Onosato.
Born Danilo Yavhushyshynhe left Ukraine more than three and a half years ago, just after Russia launched a full-scale invasion of his country.
He is only 21, has risen very quickly and is wrestling under the ring name Aonishiki Arata.
Non-Japanese sumo wrestlers have excelled in Japan at different periods.
Among them are Mongols, Hawaiians and Now a Ukrainian.
Aonishiki said he came to Japan after befriending a Japanese wrestler during a 2019 tournament.
Ukraine has a very strong tradition of Olympic wrestling.
The last gold medalist was Zhan Beleniuk in the Greco-Roman category at the Tokyo Games, which were postponed until 2021 due to the pandemic.
