By OCA Young Reporter Hana Aldayyat from Jordan
Nagoya, Japan September 27, 2026: Japan’s Yuki Kurihara etched his name into the record books at Aichi-Nagoya 2026, becoming the youngest gold medalist in Asian Games history at just 11 years old.
Competing in the e-sports competition, the Japanese prodigy captured the gold medal in Puyo Puyo with a dominant 10-2 victory over Korea’s Kang Dongshin in the final.
Kang opened the contest by taking the first set, but Kurihara responded immediately. The 11-year-old took five consecutive sets to surge ahead 5-1.
After Kang stopped the run in the seventh frame to make it 5-2, Kurihara closed out the contest with another five-set sweep from Set 8 through Set 12 to lock up the 10-2 rout and claim the title on home soil.
With the victory, Kurihara delivered another gold for host nation Japan while setting a milestone as the youngest champion across all editions of the continental games.