Yuki Kurihara wins Asian Games Puyo Puyo gold

Kurihara's final

Kurihara defeated South Korea's Kang Dong-shin 10-2 at Aichi Sky Expo in Japan on Sept. 26, Digital Times reported. The victory made the 11-year-old the youngest gold medalist in Asian Games history.

Kang took the opening game with a surprise chain while Kurihara was building a large attack. Kurihara answered with a 15-chain in the second game and a 10-chain in the third. Kang later pushed Kurihara in the sixth game with a large chain, but Kurihara blocked the attack and won the exchange.

Kurihara then moved ahead to a 9-2 match point before taking the final game. The match was part of the Asian Games esports event's Puyo Puyo Champions competition.

How Puyo Puyo works

Puyo Puyo is a puzzle game in which players stack falling pieces of the same color and connect four or more to clear them. A chain sends nuisance pieces to the opponent's board. Players can also use their own chains to cancel an attack or respond with one of their own.

Kurihara's path to Japan's team

Kurihara was born on June 18, 2015, and was the youngest member of Japan's delegation at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. Kurihara was also the youngest athlete Japan had sent to an Asian Games, according to the Kyunghyang Shinmun.

Kurihara started playing Puyo Puyo in first grade and began entering tournaments the following year. Kurihara finished third at EVO Japan in 2023 after defeating a professional player. Kurihara won the elementary-school division of the national prefectural esports championship that year and won it again in 2024.

Kurihara won the open division of the national tournament in 2025, when there was no age limit, and also won the Puyo Puyo Grand Prix Final. In April, the Japan Esports Union granted Kurihara a professional license.

School, practice and plans

Kurihara is a fifth-grade elementary school student. Kurihara usually practices for one hour on weekdays and two hours on weekends while attending a cram school for middle-school entrance exams.

Kurihara's stated ambitions extend beyond esports. Kurihara has said that the real dream is to become a railway engineer or design trains. The Asian Games final ended with Kurihara's 10-2 victory on Sept. 26.