The Ukrainian refugee preventing to turn out to be the primary European sumo grand champion | Japan

Danylo Yavhusishyn arrived in Japan in April 2022 as a teenage refugee from the conflict in Ukraine, unable to talk a phrase of the language and unsure how lengthy he could be separated from his household.

This weekend, the 20-year-old will make his debut within the high division of the traditional sport of sumo wrestling, after rising via the ranks with document pace.

“I’m extra excited than nervous,” he informed reporters and followers in a public look forward of a serious event in Osaka. Brimming with confidence, he added: “I’m trying ahead to competing in opposition to powerful opponents. I wish to win greater than 10 bouts and win one of many three awards [for exceptional performances].”

Now identified by his Japanese ring title Aonishiki Arata, the Ukrainian wrestler just lately gained promotion to sumo’s highest degree when he ended the New Yr’s event in Tokyo with 12 wins and simply three losses.

It took him simply 9 tournaments to achieve the highest tier of Japan’s de facto nationwide sport – an accomplishment that ties him with two different wrestlers for the quickest ascent via all six divisions since 1958, when sumo adopted its present format of six grand tournaments, or basho, a 12 months.

On Sunday, he’ll begin 15 days of bouts on the Osaka basho because the No. 15 maegashira, essentially the most junior rank within the elite makuuchi division, however from the place some sumo watchers consider he’ll mount a marketing campaign to turn out to be the primary European yokozuna grand champion.

Flight from Ukraine

Aonishiki, who’s 182cm in top and weighs a comparatively modest 136kg, found sumo as a boy, practising judo and freestyle wrestling earlier than encountering sumo athletes visiting his health club in Ukraine from Japan. Grappling, Japanese fashion, shortly turned his athletic calling.

In 2019, he completed third on the junior world sumo championships in Osaka, in a event that will sooner or later give him a way of escaping the Ukraine battle and form his future as an expert wrestler.

There he met the Japanese wrestler Arata Yamanaka, then captain of the sumo staff at Kansai college, and the 2 stayed in contact through social media.

After Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Aonishiki, who had just lately fled to Germany along with his dad and mom, reached out to Yamanaka, whose household agreed to host the Ukrainian teenager. He was given permission to coach on the college regardless of not being enrolled as a scholar.

“I had solely met [Yamanaka] as soon as in individual and he welcomed me, though I couldn’t converse a phrase of Japanese,” Aonishiki informed the Kyodo information company final 12 months. “I used to be shocked when he mentioned OK. If it had been the opposite method round, I might have refused.”

Aonishiki, who took the primary title Arata as a tribute to his Japanese good friend and mentor, added: “Due to him, I used to be capable of come to Japan and meet so many individuals. If I hadn’t met him, I wouldn’t be who I’m at this time.”

Eight months after he arrived in Japan, Aonishiki joined the Ajigawa secure in jap Tokyo to coach underneath former wrestler Aminishiki.

Regardless of experiencing tradition shock and anxiousness over the destiny of his house nation, “Danya” – as his buddies nicknamed him – was a dominant power within the college sumo ring, in keeping with contemporaries, defeating heavier opponents utilizing his bodily power and faultless method.

“I’ve by no means crushed Danya formally in any of my 200 bouts in opposition to him,” Akihiro Sakamoto, 21, a former captain of the Kansai College sumo staff, informed the Asahi Shimbun newspaper.

Aonishiki has risen via the ranks since his skilled debut in September 2023, accumulating profitable information in successive event, as his hair grew lengthy sufficient to be tied right into a high knot, whereas the addition of additional kilos has made him a fair harder proposition.

“Danya will find yourself changing into a yokozuna,” Sakamoto informed the Asahi. “He’s formidable.”

As he ready for a event late final 12 months, with yet one more promotion in sight, Aonishiki, who’s now fluent within the language of his adopted house, mentioned he was preventing for the “Japanese household” who had helped him since he fled Ukraine.

‘All I’ve achieved is observe directions’

His feats haven’t gone unnoticed in Ukraine, which had already produced one other top-flight wrestler, Shishi. Writing within the Ukrainian Weekly, the sports activities journalist Ihor Stelmach mentioned Aonishiki, a local of town of Vinnytsia, had “capitalised on his alternative to the purpose of being talked about as a possible future European sumo wrestler on the high of Japan’s nationwide sport”.

Greater than 2,700 Ukrainians sought refuge in Japan after the Russian invasion as a part of a scheme launched by the Japanese authorities that entitles them to working visas and long-term residency. Virtually 2,000 stay.

In a survey final 12 months by the Nippon Basis, which has offered residing and different bills to Ukrainian refugees, 39% mentioned they wished to remain in Japan “for so long as doable”, whereas 34% mentioned they wished to return house as soon as the state of affairs there had stabilised.

Exhibiting the sort of humility anticipated of sumo wrestlers, Aonishiki tried to minimize his achievement after preventing his method into the game’s elite, telling reporters: “All I’ve achieved is observe my stablemaster’s directions.”