
11-year-old Yuki Kurihara became Japan’s youngest Asian Games medallist on Saturday after dominating the Puyo Puyo Champions final in Aichi-Nagoya, defeating South Korea’s Kang Dongshin 10-2. The bespectacled primary school student, the youngest competitor at the Games, had earlier crushed Thailand’s Tanarak Wongkitkun 10-1 in the semifinals to secure at least silver.
Kurihara, who obtained his professional license in April, started playing Puyo Puyo in his first year of primary school and quickly rose through competitive tournaments. He described balancing training with school as “hard,” but added, “it’s really fun.” Before the final, he said he felt “a bit embarrassed” by his lopsided wins, which left him expressionless on stage. After claiming gold, he called the medal “really beautiful, shiny and heavy” .
Puyo Puyo Champions, a puzzle game where players clear colored blobs by creating chain reactions, is one of 11 esports medal events at this year’s Asian Games. Kurihara secured his place on Japan’s team at age 10 and prepares for contests by eating eel . The Games are being held in Nagoya and the wider Aichi area from Sept. 19 to Oct. 4 .
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