Japan celebrated Wednesday after a sumo wrestler became the first homegrown grand champion in nearly two decades.

Kisenosato was promoted to “yokozona” status, the highest possible ranking in Japan’s national sport, during a ceremony in Tokyo after winning a grand tournament at the weekend.

A steady stream of foreign-born sumo wrestlers, many hailing from Mongolia or Hawaii, has dominated the ancient sport’s highly respected number one rank for nearly two decades.

The success of 30-year-old Kisenosato marks the first occasion that a native sumo wrestler has achieved yokozuna status since the success of fellow Japanese Wakanohana in 1998.

Kisenosato’s rise to the top will come as a welcome relief to the sumo world, which has been hit hard in recent years by a string of scandals, ranging from match fixing investigations and gambling ties to incidents of physical abuse among young trainees.