安青錦

Ukrainian sumo sensation Aonishiki won promotion to the sport's second-highest rank of ozeki at a record pace after only 14 professional tournaments, having begun his journey at the bottom of the six-tier plus pyramid in September 2023.

The 21-year-old, whose real name is Danylo Yavhusishyn, brought Ukraine its first Emperor's Cup in November 2025 at a record-tying pace of five tournaments since his debut at the top-tier makuuchi division, becoming the first ozeki from the country in the process.

Here we look at his meteoric rise in exclusive pictures, from his out-of-rank maezumo debut to his memorable title-clinching victory.

Aonishiki (L) gets in crouching position ahead of his debut out-of-rank maezumo bout at the Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament on Sept. 12, 2023. (Kyodo)

Aonishiki (R) beats Hatachijo to win the sixth-tier jonokuchi division on the 13th day of the Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament at Fukuoka Kokusai Center on Nov. 24, 2023. (Kyodo)

Aonishiki poses for a photo after winning promotion to the second-tier juryo division at his Ajigawa Stable in Tokyo on Sept. 25, 2024. (Kyodo)a

Aonishiki (L) beats Shirokuma in the second-tier juryo division on the 14th day of the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament on Jan. 25, 2025, all but securing his promotion to the top-tier makuuchi division at a record-tying pace of nine tournaments competed in. (Kyodo)

Aonishiki (R) beats Hoshoryu for his first "kimboshi" win against a yokozuna on the third day of the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament at IG Arena in Nagoya on July 15, 2025. (Kyodo)

Aonishiki (2nd from L) poses for a photo with his fellow award recipients after winning the Technique award on the final day of the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament at IG Arena in Nagoya on July 27, 2025. (Kyodo)

Aonishiki (C), ranking at komusubi at a record pace after competing in 12 tournaments, receives advice from stablemaster Ajigawa at Ajigawa stable in Tokyo on Sept. 10, 2025. (Kyodo)

New sekiwake Aonishiki (L) reacts after beating yokozuna Hoshoryu in the championship playoff on the final day of the Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament at Fukuoka Kokusai Center in Fukuoka on Nov. 23, 2025. (Kyodo)

Aonishiki (C) is congratulated by local children after his ozeki promotion in Kurume in in Fukuoka Prefecture on Nov. 26, 2025. (Kyodo)

Aonishiki (C) accepts his promotion to ozeki during a ceremony at his Ajigawa stable's lodgings in Kurume in Fukuoka Prefecture on Nov. 26, 2025. (Kyodo)

Never shying away from declaring his dream, Aonishiki is seeking to join Onosato and Hoshoryu at the exalted rank of yokozuna, the ancient sport's grand champion.

While Bulgarian Kotooshu, Estonian Baruto and Georgian Tochinoshin all previously fell short of reaching the top of the rankings, expectations are high for Aonishiki to become the first European yokozuna and the youngster has time on his side.

Stay tuned for our sumo coverage!

Kyodo News, with decades of experience reporting sumo news in English, publishes daily roundup articles and a variety of photos during each 15-day tournament.

The Company uses Google Analytics, an access analysis tool provided by Google. Google Analytics uses cookies to track use of the Service. (Client ID / IP address / Viewing page URL / Referrer / Device type / Operating system / Browser type / Language /Screen resolution) Users can prevent Google Analytics, as used by the Company, from tracking their use of the Service by downloading and installing the Google Analytics opt-out add-on provided by Google, and changing the add-on settings on their browser. (https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout) For more information about how Google handles collected data: Google Analytics Terms of Service (https://policies.google.com/technologies/cookies?hl=en#types-of-cookies) Google Privacy & Terms(https://policies.google.com/privacy)