Yuki Kurihara will become Japan’s youngest athlete in Asian Games history next month, and the 11-year-old eSports champ wants to be the continental multi-sport competition’s youngest-ever medallist, too.
The bespectacled primary school student joined his Japan teammates this week for an inauguration ceremony ahead of their home Games, which take place in Nagoya city and the wider Aichi prefecture area from September 19 to October 4.
Yuki will compete in the eSports event Puyo Puyo Champions, a puzzle game where players try to clear their screen of coloured blobs by lining them up and popping them.
He is aiming to outshine a previous child medallist in Indonesia’s Bunga Nyimas, who won bronze in women’s skateboarding aged 12 in Jakarta in 2018.
“I want to win so that I can bring a gold medal back for Team Japan,” Yuki said.
The Asian Games, which were first held in 1951, have seen numerous school-age athletes in recent editions.
Cui Chenxi, 13, became China’s youngest Asian Games gold medallist when she won the women’s street skateboarding event three years ago in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province. Cui was not even the youngest skateboarder appearing at the Games.
Nine-year-old Mazel Paris Alegado competed for the Philippines in the women’s park final, and the women’s street final had a pair of Thai competitors aged 11 and 12.
Kurihara started playing Puyo Puyo in his first year of primary school and soon started competing in and winning tournaments. He obtained his pro licence in April this year and regularly competes against adults.
“It’s hard having to balance it with school and cram school, but it’s really fun,” he said. “It’s the summer holidays now, so I have a lot of time to practise. I want to practise a lot and develop some new strengths.”
Kurihara says his favourite food is eel, and his “win rate is better” if he eats it before a contest.
Puyo Puyo is a game of skill and dexterity, with players looking to set off chains to clear their screens of coloured blobs. Kurihara says he has pulled off a maximum chain of 19 and is looking to further polish his skills.
“It feels great when you set off a massive chain,” he said. “I’d love for newcomers to see a massive chain too.”
