Child prodigy Yuki Kurihara wins eSports gold at the Asian Games

Yuki Kurihara, an 11-year-old Japanese e-sports prodigy, won the gold medal in the puzzle competition and received high praise from his competitor at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya.

Japanese miracle!

The boy wearing glasses did not make any significant effort as he defeated South Korean Kang Dong Shin with a score of 10-2 in the “Puyo Puyo” game competition in the Aichi Sky Expo Hall, and he did not look like a normal child until after his victory.

"I'm very happy. The gold medal is very beautiful, shiny and heavy," Yuki said. He added: "The stuffed doll is also very cute, and it is wonderful that it is golden in color." He continued: “I played in the final match against the opponent whom I wanted to face more than anything, and who was very strong.”

Kurihara easily passed its preliminary matches to top the group for the first time, and maintained this momentum in the knockout rounds, where it defeated Singaporean Justin Koh Mun Jun, 5-0, and defeated Thailand's Tanarak ⁠Wongkitkun, 10-1, to storm the final.

Very tough opponent!

“I feel a little disappointed when I think about the match,” silver medalist Kang said. He added: "It is clear that my opponent was skilled and higher than my level, but in the end I did not get the colors that I needed in the game, which led to a loss, so I feel some regret about this part." He continued: “I was careful because Kurihara is very good at creating large chain reactions. His technical abilities and precision are amazing.”

E-sports appeared for the first time in the Asian Games competitions three years ago in the Chinese city of Hangzhou, and was so popular that tickets for the competitions were offered by lottery. These sports also enjoy a wide audience in Japan.