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Ukrainian Sumo Wrestler Aonishiki Secures Second Straight Hatsu Basho Title
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![Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko]( "Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko")
Aonishiki (Danylo Yavhushyn), a sumo wrestler from Vinnytsia, captured victory at the Hatsu Basho tournament—the first of Japan’s six annual grand sumo events—held in Tokyo on January 25.
According to a Facebook post by the Department of Sports and Physical Activity, the Ukrainian ōzeki defeated Kotozakura in the final, 15th bout, improving his record to 12 wins. Another wrestler, Atamifuji, also won his match, finishing with the same result and forcing a playoff to determine the champion.
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The decisive bout lasted 13 seconds and ended with a win for the Ukrainian wrestler. The victory marked Aonishiki’s second straight Hatsu Basho title and earned him the Emperor’s Cup for the second time.
＜安青錦優勝！＞
— 日本相撲協会公式 (@sumokyokai) January 25, 2026
取組動画 優勝決定戦
安青錦-熱海富士
AONISHIKI-ATAMIFUJI#sumo #相撲 #一月場所 pic.twitter.com/K5987J07MJ
In November 2025, Danylo Yavhustyshyn entered the history books as the first athlete from Ukraine to claim the Emperor’s Cup—the highest award in professional sumo—at Japan’s Kyushu Basho tournament.
The Kyushu Basho, held in Fukuoka from November 9 to 23, is the final of Japan’s six annual grand sumo tournaments. This year’s event featured two Ukrainian competitors: Serhii Sokolovskyi, who fights under the shikona Shishi Masaru, and Yavhustyshyn, known in the ring as Aonishiki.
According to Suspilne, Aonishiki recorded 12 wins out of 15 bouts, securing a place in the championship playoff. In the decisive match, he faced Mongolia’s Sügragchaa Byambasuren, competing as Hōshōryū Tomokatsu, one of the top division’s rising contenders.
Earlier, the January Grand Sumo Tournament became a landmark event for Ukrainian athletes when two wrestlers—Shishi (Serhii Sokolovskyi) and Aonishiki (Danylo Yavhusishyn)—met in the elite Jūryō division, marking the first time in sumo history that two Ukrainians competed against one another at that level.
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-111f0e5095e02c02446ffed57bfb0ab1.jpeg "Photo of Roman Kohanets")
