Sawt Falasteen - Ukrainian chasing sumo greatness after meteoric rise

The 21-year-old won his second straight title at the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament in Tokyo last month and he will earn promotion to the exalted rank of yokozuna if he triumphs again at the next competition in March.

Yavhusishyn, who is known by his ring name Aonishiki, reached the sport's second-highest rank of ozeki last year in record time, having made his professional debut only in July 2023.

He told reporters after a workout at his stable on Wednesday that becoming the first European-born grand master in sumo history was now the only thing on his mind.

"Wanting to become stronger and to attain a higher rank is my motivation," he said in fluent Japanese.

"That's what I think about when I wake up every morning and it's what I'm thinking about now.

"I won't improve if I don't practice, so it's about getting the basics right in order to move up a level."

There have been 75 grand masters in the centuries-old history of sumo, and all have been born in either Japan, the United States or Mongolia.

Yavhusishyn was born in central Ukraine and took up sumo at the age of seven, becoming a national champion at 17.

His age meant he narrowly avoided Ukraine's military draft for men aged 18 after Russia's February 2022 invasion of his country, and he sought refuge in Germany before moving to Japan.

His parents stayed in Germany and he arrived in Japan knowing nothing of the language.

- Paris match -

Yavhusishyn said he speaks to his parents every day and his success in sumo has made headlines back in Ukraine.

"My friends and my old sumo coach and everyone else, they're all watching sumo more than I expected," he said.

"When I win a title or even when I just win a match, they get in touch and it gives me more motivation to work hard."

Yavhusishyn clinched his second career title in a playoff on the final day of last month's tournament.

He beat rival Atamifuji in a nail-biting finale, recovering from a slow start to throw his opponent to the ground.

He has since returned to training at his Tokyo stable, where the bone-crunching thuds of wrestlers colliding echoes around the walls six mornings a week.

Yavhusishyn said he had learned a lot from his two tournament victories but he would have to wait until the next one to "really understand what it was".

"When I won the first time, of course it was just a feeling of pure happiness," he said.

"After winning the second time, the sense of relief was stronger. It was a different feeling."

Sumo is enjoying a wave of popularity in Japan, with tournaments regularly selling out as soon as tickets go on sale.

There is also growing interest overseas, with the Japan Sumo Association putting on a tournament at London's Royal Albert Hall last year and planning another in Paris in June.

Yavhusishyn is keen for people from all around the world to experience watching sumo and understand its attraction.

"It's not necessarily the biggest or strongest wrestler that wins -- it's very even in the sense that anyone can win," he said.

"I've heard that sumo is becoming more popular overseas and as a wrestler, it makes me happy if more people want to know more about it."

K.Hassan--SF-PST