Ukrainian sumo wrestler Danylo Yavhusishyn, who wrestles under the ring name Aonishiki, said Monday that he had surprised even himself by becoming the first from his country to win a tournament in the ancient Japanese sport.

The 21-year-old, who fled the war in Ukraine three years ago, is set to be promoted to sumo¡¯s second-highest rank this week after winning the Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament.

The victory earned Aonishiki his first title in only his 14th tournament.

He did it by beating Mongolian yokozuna Hoshoryu on Sunday.

¡°To be quite honest I wanted to win the tournament but I didn¡¯t really think that I could,¡± he told reporters in Fukuoka.

¡°I¡¯m really happy.¡±

Aonishiki 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 age 18 and older, and after Russia invaded he sought refuge in Germany before moving to Japan.

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

He said he spoke to his parents after winning the tournament and that he had also received messages from friends in Ukraine.

¡°I¡¯ve had lots but I haven¡¯t been able to reply to them all yet,¡± he said.

¡°It will take time to reply to them all but I¡¯ll start doing them one by one after this.¡±

Aonishiki became the second Ukraine-born professional sumo wrestler when he made his debut in July 2023, following in the footsteps of Serhii Sokolovskyi, better known as Shishi.

Aonishiki¡¯s promotion to sumo¡¯s upper divisions was the fifth fastest since the current system of six tournaments a year was introduced in 1958.

He kept his title hopes alive at the Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament by beating Hoshoryu on the penultimate day, then triumphed over the Mongolian again to clinch the title.

¡°It was the last tournament of the year, so I wanted to give a good account of myself so that I wouldn¡¯t end the year with any regrets,¡± he said.