00:00Sumo wrestler Danilo Yavuhushishin, ring-name Aonishki, is a big man with a big goal,
00:10becoming the first Ukrainian to become a Yokozuna, or Grand Master,
00:15the highest rank in sumo, Japan's national sport.
00:19I wake up every day wanting to get stronger, wanting to climb another rank higher.
00:24I'm working on it now.
00:26The simple fact is that you can't progress without a struggle.
00:28It's my job to overcome that.
00:31The 21-year-old, young, foreign-born, a war refugee, fluent in Japanese and winning fast,
00:37is a media darling in Japan, grabbing headlines after taking his second straight title
00:42at January's New Year Grand Sumo Tournament in Tokyo.
00:48It's incredibly fun as a wrestler to attract so much attention that the tickets sell out every time.
00:53And of course, I feel very strongly that I have to live up to those expectations.
00:57Sumo's roots stretch back more than 1,500 years, to rituals meant to ensure good harvests.
01:03Its modern form, while still highly structured and steeped in tradition, has become increasingly international.
01:10And while each stable is only allowed to have one non-Japanese wrestler,
01:14foreign athletes have had a major impact.
01:17Some, including wrestlers from Hawaii and Mongolia, have risen to Yokozuna, but never a Ukrainian,
01:27something Yahu Sishin could change.
01:29My friends and my teachers back in Ukraine, everyone's been watching far more sumo than I imagined.
01:37When I won the championships or even just a regular match, they'd get in touch right away.
01:42It really makes me want to push harder.
01:43In sumo, wrestlers win by forcing their opponent out of the ring,
01:48or by making any body part other than the soles of their feet touch the ground.
01:52With victory in matches being the sole basis for ranking,
01:56Yahu Sishin is one win away from being eligible for Yokozuna.
02:00That match will take place in Osaka in March.
02:04I'm just going to do what I've always done.
02:08That's all there is to it.
02:12Howard Zhang and Bryn Thomas for Taiwan Ports.
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