Ukrainian sumo wrestler Aonishiki won the Emperor's Cup for the third time in his career
Ukrainian sumo wrestler Danylo Yavgusyshyn, who competes under the Japanese name Aonishiki Arata, has won his third Emperor’s Cup. He emerged victorious at the prestigious Nagoya Basho sumo grand tournament in Japan.
On the final day of the tournament, Aonishiki had 12 wins and two losses and was one of the top contenders for the title. His rivals in the race for the championship were the Japanese wrestler Atamifuji and the Mongolian Kirishima, who also had 11 wins each.
In the final bout of the main tournament, the Ukrainian faced Atamifuji. A victory would have guaranteed Aonishiki the championship title, but his opponent managed to push him out of the dohyo.
At the same time, Kirishima defeated his opponent, leaving three wrestlers tied at the end of the tournament with identical records—12 wins and two losses. A playoff was organized to determine the winner.
In the decisive series, Aonishiki first took revenge on Atamifuji and then defeated Kirishima in a tense bout. As a result, the Ukrainian won the Emperor’s Cup for the third time in his career.
Danylo Yavgusyshyn moved to Japan in the spring of 2022 and began competing in professional sumo. In November 2025, he became the first Ukrainian in history to win the Emperor’s Cup in the top division of Japanese sumo.
In January 2026, Aonishiki won the trophy for the second consecutive time, triumphing at the Hatsu Basho tournament in Tokyo.
The Ukrainian also earned the prestigious title of ozeki—the second-highest rank in sumo after yokozuna. To earn the highest title of yokozuna, he must win at least two consecutive tournaments and demonstrate consistently strong results.
This was reported by Champion.
As a reminder, on January 25, 2026, Ukrainian sumo wrestler Danilo Aonishiki Yavgusishin won the prestigious Hatsu Basho tournament, held at the legendary Ryogoku Kokugikan arena.
