Japan’s Yuki Kurihara, 11, won the Puyo Puyo Champions gold medal at the Asian Games, beating 24-year-old South Korean player Kang Dongshin 10-2 in the final on September 26, Dexerto reported. He is believed to be the youngest competitor in Japan’s Asian Games history.
Puyo Puyo Champions is a competitive puzzle game in which players connect matching coloured blobs to clear them from the screen. Kurihara started playing the series during his first year of primary school and was soon entering and winning tournaments. He obtained his professional licence in April 2026.
His route to the final had already shown how little the age gap counted. In the semi-final he faced Thailand’s Tanarak Wongkitkun, 28, and conceded a single round in a 10-1 win. The final began less comfortably: Kurihara fell 1-0 behind before taking control of the match.
He showed little emotion when he secured the win in front of a home crowd.
To be completely honest, I felt a bit embarrassed, so I couldn’t really show my expressions or change my face much.
Speaking before the tournament, Kurihara said he eats eels to prepare for matches, and described the difficulty of fitting competition around school: “It’s hard having to balance it with school and cram school, but it’s really fun.”
He was more forthcoming once he had collected his prizes. “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.”
