Japan’s 11-year-old Yuki Kurihara won the gold medal in Puyo Puyo Champions at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Saturday, defeating South Korea’s Kang Dongshin 10-2 in the final.
Kurihara, a primary school student, recovered after losing the opening game 1-0 before taking control of the final. He had reached the gold-medal match after beating Thailand’s 28-year-old Tanarak Wongkitkun 10-1 in the semifinals.
The victory capped an impressive tournament for Kurihara, who competed against players more than twice his age while maintaining a composed demeanor.
“To be completely honest, I felt a bit embarrassed, so I couldn’t really show my expressions or change my face much,” Kurihara said.
The young gamer remained reserved during the medal ceremony, giving a small bow as he received his gold medal before waving to spectators.
“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 create chain reactions that can quickly change the outcome of a game.
Kurihara started playing Puyo Puyo during his first year of primary school and soon began entering tournaments. He obtained a professional license in April and has since regularly competed against adult players.
He qualified for Japan’s Asian Games team at the age of 10. Before the competition, Kurihara said balancing school, cram school and esports had been challenging 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 that eating eel before competitions is part of his preparation routine.
Esports has featured at the previous two editions of the Asian Games, with Puyo Puyo Champions among the 11 medal events in the discipline at this year’s competition.
The Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games are being held from September 19 to October 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 medal at 12 in 2018, while China’s Cui Chenxi won women’s street skateboarding gold at 13 at the Hangzhou Games.
Other teenage athletes have also featured at the Aichi-Nagoya Games, including 12-year-old Hong Kong skateboarder Kamus Wong and 13-year-old Chinese swimmer Yu Zidi.
