Yuki Kurihara, Japan’s 11-year-old e-sports prodigy, wins Asian Games gold

Yuki Kurihara, an 11-year-old primary school pupil from Japan, captured the Puyo Puyo Champions gold medal at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games after a decisive 10-2 victory over South Korea’s Kang Dongshin in the final. Kurihara had earlier beaten Thailand’s Tanarak Wongkitkun 10-1 in the semifinals, securing at least a silver before advancing to the title match.

Believed to be the youngest competitor at these Games, Kurihara became the youngest athlete in Japan’s Asian Games history to win a medal for the host country. He earned a professional licence in April of this year and has been competing and winning against adult players in tournaments.

Puyo Puyo Champions is a competitive puzzle game in which players clear their screen of coloured pieces by arranging and popping chains. Kurihara, who started playing the game in his first year of primary school, progressed through the tournament with composed performances and said he felt shy about showing much expression after the victory. On the podium he bowed slightly, accepted his gold medal and noted the medal and accompanying plush toy were attractive and memorable.

The Asian Games have featured youthful medallists before: Indonesia’s Bunga Nyimas won a skateboarding bronze at age 12 in Jakarta in 2018, and Cui Chenxi, 13, took games gold in women’s street skateboarding at the Hangzhou Games three years ago. Official historical records of the youngest Asian Games medallists dating back to 1951 are not publicly available.