11-Year-Old Japanese Player Yuki Kurihara Wins Esports Gold Medal at the Asian Games
The 11-year-old Japanese student beat South Korea's Kang Dongshin 10-2 and became the youngest-ever Asian Games gold medalist, officials said.
- On Saturday, Japanese elementary school student Yuki Kurihara defeated South Korea's Kang Dongshin 10-2 in the Puyo Puyo Champions final at the Asian Games, securing the gold medal.
- Youth athletes are dominating this year's Asian Games, with Kurihara joining 12-year-old Kamus Wong of Hong Kong in skateboarding and 13-year-old Zidi of China in swimming securing notable victories.
- Training eight hours daily while maintaining his school grades, Kurihara relies on eel as his favorite training food to sustain his competitive edge.
- Before the final, Kurihara defeated Thailand's Tanarak Wongkitikun 10-1 in the semifinals, demonstrating dominance against a field that included competitors as old as 28.
- Esports were first introduced to the Asian Games three years ago in Hangzhou, China, marking a significant expansion for the competition, which traces its origins to 1951 in New Delhi, India.
19 Articles
19 Articles
Japan esports whizz kid ‘feels a bit embarrassed’ after winning Asian Games gold
Japan’s 11-year-old esports prodigy Yuki Kurihara said he was “embarrassed” after winning Asian Games gold on Saturday by thrashing a series of opponents up to three times his age. The bespectacled primary school student, believed to be the youngest competitor at the Games in Aichi-Nagoya, won the Puyo Puyo Champions final 10-2. He is the youngest athlete in host country Japan’s Asian Games history. Puyo Puyo Champions is a puzzle game where pla…
Asian Games 2026 — Japan’s 11-year-old Yuki Kurihara ‘embarrassed’ after winning gold in esports
The bespectacled primary school student, believed to be the youngest competitor at the Games in Aichi-Nagoya, won the Puyo Puyo Champions final 10-2, defeating Thailand’s Tanarak Wongkitkun.
Japanese elementary school student Yuki Kurihara (11) won the gold medal in the e-sports ‘Puyo Puyo Champions’ at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, becoming the youngest medalist in the history of the Asian Games. South Korea’s Dong-Shin Kang (25), who lost to Kurihara in the final, took home the silver medal. On the 26th, Kurihara...
This schoolgirl with glasses, considered the youngest competitor of the Games of Aichi-Nagoya, won 10-2 in the finals of the Puyo Puyo Champions tournament. He was already the youngest athlete in the host country, Japan, in the history of the Asian Games. Puyo Puyo Champions is a puzzle video game in which players have to clean their screen of colored blocks by aligning them and blowing them up. Impassive throughout the competition, Kurihara cli…
The Toronto Star
11-year-old Japanese player Yuki Kurihara wins esports gold medal at the Asian Games
NAGOYA, Japan (AP) — Eel is his favorite training food, he's only 11 years old, and he found his niche in his sport when he was in kindergarten.
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 47% of the sources lean Left
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
