Taihō Kōki — sumo (yokozuna) with roots in the Russian Empire
Taihō Kōki (born Kōki Ivan Boreiko) was a Japanese sumo wrestler of Ukrainian descent who became one of the greatest yokozuna in the history of sumo. He won 32 tournament championships — a record that stood for 35 years — and was voted the most popular post-war athlete in Japan.
Tracing the roots — Kharkiv (Ukr)
Born on Sakhalin Island in 1940 to Ivan Boreiko — a Ukrainian immigrant — and a Japanese mother, Taihō is the most successful Ukrainian-Japanese athlete in history. His Ukrainian father had been brought to Sakhalin as a labourer under Japanese colonial rule. Taihō embraced his Japanese identity completely while his Ukrainian heritage was publicly acknowledged throughout his career.
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Kharkiv (Ukr). At the time, this region lay within the Russian Empire, which spanned from Poland to the Pacific.