Draft:Yuki Kurihara
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Yuki Kurihara is a Japanese esports player. He represented Japan at the 2026 Asian Games in his first Asian Games appearance at the age of 11 and he went onto clinch a gold medal in his debut appearance at the Asian Games.[1] He currently studies at elementary school.[2][1]
Biography
[edit]He began training for esports events at a very early age and he found his interest in esports when he was in kindergarten. It was a copy of Puyo Puyo Champions, which he got as a Christmas gift while in kindergarten that motivated him to engage in the game of Puyo Puyo Champions.[3] He had also developed multiple interests during his childhood ranging from juggling, Nintendo shooter Splatoon and the mining sandbox adventure Core Keeper. His diet included eel prior to his preparations for high-profile tournaments.[2] Kurihara began playing Puyo Puyo in just his first year of primary school and he also took part in Puyo Puyo competitions. In April 2026, he obtained his pro licence in esports.[4]
Career
[edit]Kurihara was dubbed as a child prodigy by Japanese media after his exposure in esports since his childhood.[3] In January 2026, Kurihara received Under-18 and Mind Game Player of the Year honors at the Japan eSports Awards.[3] In February 2026, he was adjudged the winner of SEGA’s Puyo Puyo Grand Prix Final and his victory eventually propelled him to officially turn pro in April 2026, just two months prior to his 11th birthday.[3]
In September 2026, he secured gold medal in the final of the Puyo Puyo Champions puzzle game, where he defeated Kang Dongshin of South Korea with a scoreline of 10-2 to become the youngest ever medalist for Japan at the Asian Games at the age of just eleven.[5][6][4] According to some media reports, he was regarded as the youngest ever gold medalist in the history of Asian Games, although there are no statistical official publicly available records to verify the youngest medalists in the history of the Asian Games.[7][5]
During the 2026 Asian Games, he defeated his opponents who were almost three times his age.[5][8] In the semi-final match of the Puyo Puyo puzzle game category, he secured victory over his Thai opponent Tanarak Wongkitkun with a final scoreline of 10-1.[1][4] He was also widely reported by the Japanese media as the youngest competitor at the 2026 Asian Games.[1][3]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 "Japan schoolboy, 11, wins gold while empty seats blight Asian Games". The Guardian. 2026-09-26. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- 1 2 "11-year-old Japanese player Yuki Kurihara wins esports gold medal at the Asian Games". ABC News. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Yoshikawa, Mai (2026-09-22). "Small frame, big stakes: 11-year-old Puyo Puyo prodigy takes on Asia". The Japan Times. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- 1 2 3 AFP. "Yuki Kurihara, Japan's 11-year-old e-sports prodigy, wins Asian Games gold". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- 1 2 3 "Asian Games: Esports star Yuki Kurihara, 11, wins gold to become Japan's youngest medallist". BBC Sport. 2026-09-24. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ "Asian Games 2026: 15 Consecutive Chains Bring 11-Year-Old Yuki Kurihara of Japan to Top of Asia in 'Puyo Puyo' Event". japannews.yomiuri.co.jp. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ "Japan hails 11-year-old Asian Games history-maker". Japan Today. 2026-09-27. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ Rampling, Ali (2026-09-26). "Yuki Kurihara, 11, wins Asian Games gold for Japan". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
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