Japan’s 11-Year-Old Asian Games Rookie Has a Very Unusual Secret Weapon—Can He Make History?

TOKYO, Japan — Japan is sending an unusually young competitor to the 2026 Asian Games—and he is already dreaming of making history.

At just 11 years old, Yuki Kurihara is set to become the youngest athlete ever to represent Japan at the Asian Games when he competes in the Puyo Puyo Champions esports event at the home Games in September.

Kurihara joined his Japanese teammates at a send-off ceremony in Tokyo this week as preparations intensify for the 2026 Asian Games, which will be held in Nagoya and across Aichi from September 19 to October 4.

But Kurihara isn’t simply going to Japan’s biggest continental sporting event to make up the numbers.

The primary-school student has his sights firmly set on a medal—and potentially another record.

“I want to win so that I can bring a gold medal back for Team Japan,” Kurihara said.

From Primary School Player to Pro

Kurihara began playing Puyo Puyo during his first year of primary school. The colorful puzzle game requires players to arrange and eliminate blobs while creating increasingly powerful chain reactions.

He quickly moved from casual play into competitive tournaments, where he began taking on—and beating—more experienced players.

In April 2026, Kurihara obtained his professional license and has since regularly competed against adults, according to the AFP report carried by Philstar and other international outlets.

His reported best performance includes a 19-chain, a feat that highlights the speed, precision and strategic thinking required in high-level Puyo Puyo competition.

Now, the 11-year-old is trying to sharpen his game even further before stepping onto the Asian Games stage.

The Youngest Could Also Become the Youngest Medalist

Kurihara’s ambitions go beyond simply becoming Japan’s youngest Asian Games athlete.

He is also chasing the distinction of becoming the youngest Asian Games medalist in esports, while potentially challenging the broader record for the competition’s youngest medal winner.

One benchmark is Indonesia’s Bunga Nyimas, who won a bronze medal in women’s skateboarding at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta at age 12.

The Asian Games have already seen remarkably young competitors.

At the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, held in 2023, China’s Cui Chenxi became the country’s youngest Asian Games gold medalist at 13 after winning the women’s street skateboarding title.

The same Games also featured even younger competitors, including the Philippines’ Mazel Paris Alegado, who was only nine when she competed in the women’s park skateboarding final.

That history gives Kurihara an opportunity to make his own mark.

School, Training—and a Lucky Food

Despite his extraordinary competitive schedule, Kurihara remains a school student.

He has acknowledged that balancing school, cram school and professional gaming can be difficult, although he says he enjoys the challenge.

With Japan’s summer holidays providing additional time to train, Kurihara plans to use the extra hours to develop new strengths ahead of the Asian Games.

And then there’s his unusual pre-game ritual.

Kurihara says eel is his favorite food and believes his “win rate is better” when he eats it before a competition.

That quirky superstition is where the “eel-powered” nickname comes from—not any actual performance-enhancing effect from eel.

For an 11-year-old preparing to compete against some of the region’s best esports players, however, every bit of confidence could count.

A New Generation Takes the Asian Games Stage

Kurihara’s appearance also reflects how the Asian Games are evolving.

The event, first held in 1951, now encompasses a much broader range of sports and competitive disciplines, with esports providing a pathway for elite gamers to compete on a major international stage.

For Kurihara, the opportunity is even more personal.

He wants to win gold for Japan, improve his skills and show newcomers what is possible in competitive Puyo Puyo.

And if his 19-chain record is any indication, the Japanese youngster could have plenty of surprises waiting when the competition begins.

The question now is whether Japan’s youngest-ever Asian Games athlete can turn his childhood passion—and his beloved bowl of eel—into a piece of Asian Games history.