11-year-old Japanese esports player wins Asian Games gold

At just 11 years old, Japan’s Yuki Kurihara has already won an Asian Games gold medal. But after beating players much older than him, the young esports player said he felt “embarrassed” and could not show much emotion. Kurihara, a primary school student and the youngest athlete in Japan’s Asian Games history, defeated South Korea’s 24-year-old Kang Dongshin 10-2 in the Puyo Puyo Champions final on Saturday.

Kurihara had an impressive run to the final. In the semi-final, he defeated Thailand’s Tanarak Wongkitkun, 28, by a huge 10-1 margin. The win guaranteed him at least a silver medal. The final was also one-sided, although Kurihara lost the opening game 1-0. He then took control and went on to win 10-2. Despite the victory, Kurihara did not celebrate wildly. “To be completely honest, I felt a bit embarrassed, so I couldn’t really show my expressions or change my face much,” he said.

Kurihara looked calm throughout the competition. When he received his gold medal on the podium, he gave a slight bow before giving a small wave to the arena. “I’m really happy. The gold medal is really beautiful, shiny and heavy,” he said. “Also, the plush toy is super cute, and it’s cool that it is gold-coloured too.”

Kurihara began playing Puyo Puyo in his first year of primary school. He soon started taking part in tournaments and winning them. He received his professional licence in April this year and has regularly beaten adult players.

“It’s hard having to balance it with school and cram school, but it’s really fun,” Kurihara had said before the Asian Games. Puyo Puyo Champions is a puzzle game in which players clear coloured blobs from their screen by lining them up and making them disappear.

There are no publicly available records showing the youngest medallists in Asian Games history. The Games were first held in 1951. Indonesia’s Bunga Nyimas won a bronze medal in women’s skateboarding at the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games when she was 12. Three years ago, China’s Cui Chenxi won gold in the women’s street skateboarding event at the Hangzhou Asian Games at the age of 13. Kurihara, meanwhile, has now made his own mark at the Asian Games at just 11.