Yuki Kurihara, 11, wins gold medal at Asian Games in e-sports

Yuki Kurihara, an 11-year-old primary school student, became the youngest athlete in Japan's Asian Games history by winning a gold medal in e-sports on Saturday. Competing in the Puyo Puyo Champions final, Kurihara defeated his opponents, including a 24-year-old South Korean player, with a final score of 10-2. In the semifinals, he won against Thailand's Tanarak Wongkitkun, age 28, with a score of 10-1. Kurihara expressed feeling 'embarrassed' after his victory and noted that he was happy to receive the gold medal, describing it as 'beautiful, shiny and heavy.' He began playing Puyo Puyo in primary school and obtained his pro license in April 2026. The Asian Games, first held in 1951, do not have publicly available records of the youngest medallists, but previous young competitors include Indonesia’s Bunga Nyimas, who won bronze in skateboarding at age 12 in 2018.