Danylo Yavhusishyn, a 21-year-old sumo wrestler from Ukraine, reached a major milestone on Wednesday. He became the first Ukrainian to earn promotion to ozeki, the second-highest rank in sumo. He also did it faster than anyone since the current six-tournament system began in 1958.
Yavhusishyn fled the war in Ukraine three years ago. Since then, his climb through the ranks has been rapid. He made his pro debut in July 2023 and won the Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament on Sunday, becoming the first Ukrainian to win a top-division title. He secured the championship after beating grand champion Hoshoryu in a playoff.
His promotion makes him only the fourth European to reach ozeki, joining wrestlers from Estonia, Bulgaria, and Georgia.
During the ceremony in Fukuoka, he bowed to sumo elders, stood before gold screens and flowers, and held up a large sea bream—an old symbol of good fortune. Using fluent Japanese, he said he wants to honor the ozeki title and keep improving. He credited his rise to following his stablemaster’s guidance.
Yavhusishyn grew up in central Ukraine and started sumo at age seven. He became a national champion at 17. When Russia invaded, he was still under the draft age and later fled to Germany. His parents stayed there while he moved to Japan, arriving with no knowledge of the language.
He said his parents’ support kept him going. They were thrilled with his tournament win, and he planned to call them after the ceremony.
