Yuki Kurihara, 11, Wins Asian Games Puyo Puyo Gold
An 11-year-old Japanese student, Yuki Kurihara, became the youngest gold medallist in Asian Games history by winning the Puyo Puyo esports title at the
Yuki Kurihara, an 11-year-old fifth-grade student from Tokyo, won the Asian Games gold medal in Puyo Puyo on September 26, 2026. He defeated South Korea's Kang Dongshin with a dominant 10-2 scoreline in the Puyo Puyo Champions final at the Aichi-Nagoya Games.
Kurihara advanced to the knockout stage with a perfect record, winning all three of his Group A matches. He then overpowered Thailand's Tanarak Wongkitkun 10-1 in the semifinals. In the final, Kang Dongshin took the opening game for a 1-0 lead. Kurihara responded immediately, producing a massive 15-chain combo to win the second game and begin a match-winning streak.
Background and journey
Yuki Kurihara is a fifth-grade primary-school student who first discovered Puyo Puyo at age six. He received Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 as a Christmas present. He found his niche in esports when he was in kindergarten and started playing competitively in his first year of primary school.
His rise was rapid. By April of his second year in primary school, he was competing at EVO Japan, where he finished third. He also won the Puyo Puyo competition at the National Prefectural Esports Championship 2023 KAGOSHIMA.
Records and significance
At 11 years and three months old, Yuki Kurihara is the youngest athlete in host country Japan’s Asian Games history. Japanese media reported him as the youngest medallist in Asian Games history overall. He is believed to be the youngest-ever gold medalist in the Asian Games, surpassing the previous record held by Indonesian skateboarder Bunga Nyimas. Nyimas won bronze at age 12 in women’s street skateboarding at the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games. Kurihara is also believed to be the youngest competitor at the games in Aichi-Nagoya.
Personal reflections
Despite his historic victory, the young champion felt awkward about his public reaction. Yuki Kurihara said he felt "embarrassed about showing too much emotion." He could not show his expressions after winning.
His focus quickly turned to the spoils of victory. "I'm really happy. The gold medal is really beautiful, shiny and heavy," Kurihara said. He also cherished a special souvenir from the event. Also, the plush toy is super cute, and it's cool that it is gold-coloured too. Regarding his training regimen, he noted, I generally practise for around an hour a day and that there are also days when I do not play at all.
Yuki Kurihara received a gold-coloured Asian Games mascot plush toy.
