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

4 days ago 16

Gold medallist Yuki Kurihara, a superior schoolhouse student, is the youngest jock successful big state Japan’s Asian Games history.

Published On 26 Sep 2026

Japan’s 11-year-old e-sports prodigy Yuki Kurihara said helium was “embarrassed” aft winning Asian Games golden connected Saturday by thrashing a bid of opponents up to 3 times his age.

The bespectacled superior schoolhouse student, believed to beryllium the youngest rival astatine the games successful Aichi-Nagoya, won the Puyo Puyo Champions last 10-2.

Recommended Stories

list of 3 items

end of list

He is the youngest jock successful the big state Japan’s Asian Games history.

Puyo Puyo Champions is simply a puzzle crippled wherever players effort to wide their surface of coloured blobs by lining them up and popping them.

Looking unruffled throughout, Kurihara waltzed into the golden medal lucifer with a drawstring of dazzling displays.

He crushed Thailand’s Tanarak Wongkitkun – a comparative seasoned astatine 28 – 10-1 successful the semifinals to guarantee astatine slightest a metallic medal.

He did not adjacent grin aft beating South Korea’s 24-year-old Kang Dongshin successful the final, having gone down 1-0 aboriginal on.

Yuki Kurihara of Japan reacts aft winning the golden medal aft competing successful the Esports Puzzle [Puyo Puyo Champions] Gold Medal lucifer against Dongshin Kang of South Korea connected time 7 of the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya astatine Aichi Sky Expo connected September 26, 2026 successful Tokoname, Aichi, Japan. Kurihara becomes the youngest golden medalist astatine the Asian Games astatine the property of 11. (Photo by Toru Hanai/Getty Images)

“To beryllium wholly honest, I felt a spot embarrassed, truthful I couldn’t truly amusement my expressions oregon alteration my look much,” helium explained.

Standing connected the podium, helium bowed somewhat arsenic helium received his golden medal and gave a tiny question to the arena.

“I’m truly happy. The golden medal is truly beautiful, shiny and heavy,” helium said.

“Also, the plush artifact is ace cute, and it’s chill that it is gold-coloured too.”

Kurihara started playing Puyo Puyo successful his archetypal twelvemonth of superior schoolhouse and soon started competing and winning successful tournaments. He obtained his pro licence successful April this twelvemonth and regularly beats adults.

“It’s hard having to equilibrium it with schoolhouse and cram school, but it’s truly fun,” helium said up of the games.

There are nary publically disposable records of the youngest medallists successful the past of the Asian Games, which were archetypal contested successful 1951.

But Indonesia’s Bunga Nyimas won bronze successful women’s skateboarding aged 12 successful Jakarta successful 2018.

Cui Chenxi, 13, won games golden erstwhile she triumphed successful the women’s thoroughfare skateboarding lawsuit 3 years agone successful Hangzhou.

*** Disclaimer: This Article is auto-aggregated by a Rss Api Program and has not been created or edited by Bdtype.

(Note: This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News Rss Api. News.bdtype.com Staff may not have modified or edited the content body.

Please visit the Source Website that deserves the credit and responsibility for creating this content.)

Watch Live | Source Article