Primary school student Yuki Kurihara – the youngest competitor at the Asian Games – won gold on Saturday by thrashing opponents almost three times his age.
The 11-year-old esports star won the Puyo Puyo Champions final 10-2 to become Japan’s youngest ever medallist at the Games.
Puyo Puyo is a puzzle game similar to Tetris, which was developed in Japan.
Players try to clear their screen of coloured blobs by lining them up and popping them, creating chain reactions called ‘dairensa’.
Kurihara said he felt “embarrassed” as he beat 28-year-old Thai Tanarak Wongkitkun 10-1 to reach the final, before breezing past South Korea’s 24-year-old Kang Dongshin.
“To be completely honest, I felt a bit embarrassed, so I couldn’t really show my expressions or change my face much,” he explained.
“I’m really happy. The gold medal is really beautiful, shiny and heavy.”
There are no publicly available records of youngest medallists in Games history, but Indonesia’s Bunga Nyimas won bronze in women’s skateboarding aged 12 in 2018.
Esports has appeared in the previous two editions of the Asian Games, with Puyo Puyo being one of 11 medal events this year.
Kurihara says he eats eel to prepare for contests, and secured his place on the Japan team at just 10 years old.
“It’s hard having to balance it with school and cram school, but it’s really fun,” he said before the Games.
The Asian Games are being held in Nagoya and the wider Aichi area from 19 September to 4 October.
