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An 11-year-old Japanese elementary school student has won an esports gold medal at the Asian Games after defeating South Korea’s Kang Dongshin in the final of the Puyo Puyo Champions puzzle game on Saturday.
Yuki Kurihara beat Kang 10-2 to claim the gold, after defeating Thailand’s Tanarak Wongkitikun 10-1 in the semi-final. Wongkitikun, 28, was more than twice Kurihara’s age.
“I’m really happy,” Kurihara said after his victory. “The gold medal is really beautiful, shiny and heavy.”
He also expressed delight at the mascot plush toy he received after winning.
“The plush toy is super cute, and it’s cool that it is gold-coloured too,” he said.
Kang, who finished with the silver medal, praised the young Japanese player’s skills.
“It’s obvious that my opponent was skilled and above my level,” Kang said. “His technical ability and accuracy are incredible.”
Kurihara is believed to be the youngest-ever gold medallist in Asian Games history, which dates back to the inaugural edition in New Delhi, India, in 1951. He is certainly the youngest competitor to win gold at the current Games.
Japanese media have reported that Kurihara trains for around eight hours a day while continuing to keep up with his school studies.
His interest in esports began when he was in kindergarten. Eel is reportedly one of his favourite training foods as he prepares for competitions.
Esports made its Asian Games debut three years ago at the Hangzhou Games in China, where the competitions proved highly popular and tickets were distributed through a lottery. The sport has also developed a strong following in Japan.
Kurihara’s achievement is part of a wider trend of young athletes making an impact at the Asian Games.
Kamus Wong, 12, is representing Hong Kong in skateboarding, while 13-year-old Chinese swimmer Yu Zidi has won three gold medals.
Even among the Games’ older young stars, 17-year-old Japanese swimmer Shin Ohashi can claim a major achievement, having set a world record in the 200-metre breaststroke on Thursday.