Foreign wrestlers add international flair to All Japan Women’s Sumo Championships

Australian Giselle Shaw, 18, competes at the All-Japan Women's Sumo Championships in Uji, Kyoto Prefecture, on Sunday. | JOHN GUNNING photo

by JOHN GUNNING
October 16, 2024

KYOTO – There was a decidedly international flavor to the 29th All Japan Women’s Sumo Championships, which took place Sunday in Uji, Kyoto Prefecture, where two-time defending world champion Ivanna Berezovska from Ukraine won all four of her bouts to take gold in the over-80 kilogram category.
With numerous medals to her name, Berezovska has been a fixture on international podiums for several years.

The veteran moved to Japan last year to escape the ongoing war in her home country, and has continued her winning ways in sumo’s birthplace.