Japanese 11-year-old wins Asian Games eSports gold

NAGOYA, Japan - An 11-year-old Japanese eSports prodigy, Yuki Kurihara, claimed gold at the Asian Games on Saturday, defeating opponents up to three times his age. Playing in the Puyo Puyo Champions final, the bespectacled primary school student secured a victory with a score of 10-2, making him the youngest competitor in Asian Games history.

Puyo Puyo Champions is a puzzle game where players aim to clear their screen of colored blobs by aligning them and popping them. Kurihara calmly advanced to the final, defeating Thailand's Tanarak Wongkitkun 10-1 in the semi-finals and remaining unflappable after an early 1-0 loss to South Korea's 24-year-old Kang Dongshin.

Kurihara began playing Puyo Puyo in his first year of primary school and quickly started competing and winning tournaments. He earned his professional license in April of this year and routinely outperforms adults. Balancing his passion with school and cram school is challenging, but the young gamer remains enthusiastic about the summer holidays, which provide ample time for practice and development of new skills.