Ukrainian refugee who fled war wins top sumo wrestling competition in Japan

Ukrainian sumo wrestler Danylo Yavhusishyn, known by his Japanese ring name Aonishiki, receives the Prime Minister's Cup trophy after winning the Grand Sumo Tournament in Fukuoka on Nov. 23, 2025. (Stringer/AFP/JIJI PRESS/Getty Images via CNN Newsource)

A 21-year-old Ukrainian sumo wrestler who fled the Russian invasion has won an elite-level sumo competition in Japan, where he’s been lauded for his rapid rise in the hyper-competitive sport.

Yavhusishyn Danylo, known by his ring name Aonishiki, emerged victorious from the November Grand Sumo Tournament on Sunday, according to national broadcaster NHK. In the deciding match, he defeated Mongolia-born Hoshoryu, a top-ranked wrestler.

“It’s a feeling that words can’t express,” Aonishiki said after his win, according to NHK. “It felt like I was just letting my body do its thing, using my own strength. I’ve been diligently doing what my master told me, and it led to this result.”

His win caps a meteoric rise within the sport, dictated by ritual and tradition, in the three years since the 21-year-old arrived in Japan as war ravaged his home country.

He had started with wrestling and judo as a child in Ukraine, where martial arts have long been popular; the country boasts a long list of Olympic medal-winning wrestlers. At seven years old, he switched to sumo after seeing sumo athletes training at his judo facility, according to CNN affiliate Asahi Shimbun.

He quickly demonstrated a talent for the sport, placing third at the junior world sumo championships in Japan at just 15 years old – which is where he befriended Japanese sumo wrestler Arata Yamanaka.

Then, that all shuddered to a halt in 2022 when Russia invaded Ukraine. Wrestling facilities were destroyed, and athletes and their families fled abroad – including Aonishiki, whose family moved to Germany.

“I thought it would be a shame to end my sports career there,” Aonishiki told NHK in a documentary about his journey that aired in July. “I liked sumo, I felt I should try to compete in sumo somehow on the path I’d chosen.”

So, at 18 years old, he came alone to Japan – where his friend Yamanaka, at the time captain of the sumo club at Kansai University, offered to house Aonishiki at his family home and arranged for the Ukrainian to train at the university club.

His ring name translates to “blue” – one of the colors of the Ukrainian flag.

Aonishiki began rebuilding his career in a new country and a new language. Soon, he became fluent in Japanese and climbed the ranks at record speed – defeating his fellow university wrestlers despite not being the largest or heaviest (at only 140 kilograms, or 308 pounds – lower than average for top-division sumo wrestlers).

He eventually joined the Tokyo-based Ajigawa stable to live, train and compete professionally. By Sunday’s tournament, he had reached the third-highest rank of Sekiwake after competing in just 13 tournaments, a record pace in a sport where rankings often fluctuate, and wrestlers can be promoted or demoted depending on their competition performance.

After Aonishiki’s win on Sunday, the national sumo governing body held an extraordinary meeting to discuss his potential promotion to the second-highest title of Ozeki, according to NHK.

But the Ukrainian wrestler wants to go one better. “There’s one more rank above this, so I want to aim for that,” he said, with his eyes firmly on the top title of Yokozuna.

By Jessie Yeung, CNN