AICHI-NAGOYA, Japan: Japan’s Yuki Kurihara, 11, captured gold in Puyo Puyo Champions at the Asian Games on Saturday, beating South Korea’s Kang Dongshin 10-2 and making history as the youngest athlete to compete for the host nation at the Games.
Kurihara, a primary school student, overcame an early 1-0 deficit before taking control of the final. He had advanced to the gold-medal match after defeating Thailand’s 28-year-old Tanarak Wongkitkun 10-1 in the semifinals.
The victory capped a remarkable tournament for Kurihara, who faced opponents more than twice his age while maintaining a calm demeanor throughout the competition.
“To be completely honest, I felt a bit embarrassed, so I couldn’t really show my expressions or change my face much,” Kurihara said.
He appeared equally reserved on the podium, giving a small bow as he received his gold medal before waving to the crowd.
“I’m really happy. The gold medal is really beautiful, shiny and heavy,” he said. “Also, the plush toy is super cute, and it’s cool that it is gold-colored too.”
Puyo Puyo Champions is a Japanese puzzle game in which players match colored blobs to clear them from the screen. Consecutive matches can trigger chain reactions and quickly change the course of a game.
Kurihara began playing Puyo Puyo in his first year of primary school and soon started entering tournaments. He earned a professional license in April and has since regularly competed against adult players.
He qualified for Japan’s Asian Games team at age 10. Before the competition, Kurihara said balancing school, cram school and esports was difficult but enjoyable.
“It’s hard having to balance it with school and cram school, but it’s really fun,” he said.
Kurihara has also said he eats eel before competitions as part of his preparation.
Esports has been included in the previous two editions of the Asian Games, and Puyo Puyo Champions is one of 11 medal events in the discipline at this year’s competition.
The Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games are being held from Sept. 19 through Oct. 4.
There is no comprehensive publicly available record confirming the youngest medalist in Asian Games history. Indonesia’s Bunga Nyimas won a women’s skateboarding bronze at age 12 in 2018, while China’s Cui Chenxi won women’s street skateboarding gold at age 13 at the Hangzhou Games.
The Aichi-Nagoya Games have also featured other teenage athletes, including 12-year-old Hong Kong skateboarder Kamus Wong and 13-year-old Chinese swimmer Yu Zidi.
