Historic Asian Games Victory
Japan's eleven-year-old Yuki Kurihara wins the Puyo Puyo gold medal at Asian Games.
Anonymous
Japan’s 11-year-old Yuki Kurihara won the Puyo Puyo gold medal at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, defeating South Korea’s Kang Dong-shin 10-2 in the final after a 10-1 semifinal win over Thailand’s Tanarak Wongkitkun. Kurihara is Japan’s youngest-ever Asian Games athlete and is believed to be the Games’ youngest gold medalist, but there is no definitive public record establishing the youngest medalists. He went unbeaten in group play and also beat a Singaporean opponent on his way to the final. Kurihara began playing as a young child and earned his professional license this year; he said balancing training with school was challenging but fun.
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Kurihara said he felt “a bit embarrassed” after his win and could not show much expression; he also said the gold medal was “beautiful, shiny and heavy” and praised its gold-coloured plush toy.
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Runner-up Kang Dong-shin praised Kurihara’s technical ability and accuracy, saying he was cautious because Kurihara is “extremely good at making large chain reactions.” Kang added that he lost partly because he did not get the Puyo colours he needed.
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Japanese media reported that Kurihara trains for eight hours a day while keeping up with school; he has said eel is his favorite food for training.
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Puyo Puyo Champions is a puzzle game in which players clear coloured blobs from their screen by lining them up and popping them.
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