Eel-Powered Japan Whizz-Kid, 11, Dominates in Historic Asian Games Debut
The fifth-grader beat all four opponents in Group A and will play for gold after becoming Japan’s youngest Asian Games athlete.
- On Thursday, 11-year-old Yuki Kurihara topped Group A at the Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan, defeating four international opponents to advance toward the gold medal match.
- The primary school student is the youngest athlete at the Asian Games, having turned professional in April after winning Sega's Puyo Puyo Grand Prix Final two months before his 11th birthday.
- Competing in Puyo Puyo Champions, a puzzle game similar to Tetris, Kurihara creates chain reactions called 'dairensa' to defeat opponents almost three times his age.
- Attempting to win gold on Saturday, the 11-year-old aims to make history as the youngest champion in Asian Games history for Team Japan.
- Though Indonesia's Bunga Nyimas holds the record for youngest medallist at age 12, Kurihara hopes to secure victory, telling the Japan Times, 'I hope to win a gold medal for Japan.
13 Articles
13 Articles
ASIAN GAMES: Eel-powered Japanese child dominates
Japan’s 11-year-old e-sports whizz-kid Yuki Kurihara yesterday crushed the competition on his debut at the Asian Games, beating opponents almost three times his age.The bespectacled primary-school student, who says he eats eel to prepare for contests, is the youngest athlete at the Games. He is also
Eel-powered Japan whizz-kid, 11, dominates in historic Asian Games debut
NAGOYA: Japan's 11-year-old eSports whizz-kid Yuki Kurihara crushed the competition on his Asian Games debut on Thursday (Sep 24), beating opponents almost three times his age.The bespectacled primary school student, who says he eats eel to prepare for contests, is the youngest athlete at the Games.He
(Nagoya = Yonhap News) Reporter Kim Kyung-yoon = Yuki Kurihara (11), the youngest player on the Japanese national team who is currently in the 5th grade of elementary school, [will be participating in] the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games...
11-year-old Japanese gamer Yuki Kurihara advanced to the finals of the Puyo Puyo event at the 2026 Aichi Nagoya Asian Games by winning all matches in the qualifiers. If he wins, he is expected to become the youngest medalist and is drawing attention for his world-class skills.
Radio France Internationale
France24Eel-powered Japan whizz-kid, 11, dominates in historic Games debut
The bespectacled primary school student, who says he eats eel to prepare for contests, is the hosts' youngest athlete in Asian Games history. He competes in Puyo Puyo Champions, a puzzle game where players try to clear their screen of coloured blobs by lining them up and popping them. Kurihara beat all four opponents he faced to top Group A in Nagoya, rounding off his morning's work with a 3-0 win over 28-year-old Yu Wing Lim of Hong Kong. Kurih…
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