By Dexerto | Created at 2026-09-28 18:30:46 | Updated at 2026-09-29 03:10:18
12 hours ago
An 11-year-old has won an Asian Games gold medal after beating a string of adult opponents in Puyo Puyo Champions.
Japan’s Yuki Kurihara defeated 24-year-old South Korean player Kang Dongshin 10-2 in the final on September 26, becoming what is believed to be the youngest competitor in Japan’s Asian Games history.
Puyo Puyo Champions is a competitive puzzle game where players connect matching colored blobs to remove them from their screen. Kurihara started playing the series during his first year of primary school and was soon entering and winning tournaments.
He only obtained his professional licence in April 2026 and explained before the tournament that he eats eels to prepare for matches.
11-year-old Japanese boy wins Puyo Puyo Champions gold medal
His route to the final had already shown just how little his age mattered, as Kurihara faced Thailand’s 28-year-old Tanarak Wongkitkun in the semi-final and conceded just a single round in a 10-1 victory.
He didn’t have an easy start to the deciding match, falling 1-0 behind before taking control. But despite securing gold in front of a home crowd, the primary school student showed little emotion when he secured the win.
Japan just found its youngest samurai.
He's 11 years old.
His weapon is Puyo Puyo.
In the Asian Games final, Yuki Kurihara faced South Korea's Kang Dongshin. Even after his opponent pulled off an "all clear," Yuki turned the game around.
He won the final 10-2 and became the…
— Rei 玲 🇯🇵 (@ReiOfJapan7) September 27, 2026
“To be completely honest, I felt a bit embarrassed, so I couldn’t really show my expressions or change my face much,” he told AFP.
But balancing that success with being an 11-year-old isn’t exactly straightforward, as he admitted before the tournament: “It’s hard having to balance it with school and cram school, but it’s really fun.”
While he appeared reserved after winning the final, Kurihara was much happier once he received 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.”
On the other end of the spectrum, a 78-year-old grandma recently became the world’s oldest female Fortnite streamer.
