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11/23 05:39 CST Ukraine-born sumo wrestler Aonishiki is the first from his
country to win a top championship
Ukraine-born sumo wrestler Aonishiki is the first from his country to win a top
championship
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 deciding match in
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 Japan-born Onosato.
Born Danilo Yavhushyshyn, he left Ukraine more than 3 1/2 years ago just after
Russia launched a full-scale invasion of his country. He is only 21, has risen
very quickly and wrestles under the ring name of Aonishiki Arata.
Non-Japanese sumo wrestlers have excelled in different periods in Japan. They
have included Mongolians, Hawaiians and now a Ukrainian.
Aonishiki said he came to Japan after striking up a friendship with a Japanese
wrestler at a tournament in 2019.
Ukraine has a very strong tradition in Olympic wrestling. Its last gold-medal
winner was Zhan Beleniuk in the Greco-Roman category at the Tokyo Games, which
were delayed until 2021 by the pandemic.
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