Eel-eating 11-year-old Yuki Kurihara leads Puyo Puyo group at Asian Games

Yuki Kurihara, an 11-year-old primary school student from Japan, opened his Asian Games campaign in Nagoya on Thursday by defeating opponents nearly three times his age and becoming the youngest athlete at this year's Games. He competes in Puyo Puyo Champions, one of the eSports medal events at the tournament.

Puyo Puyo was created in Hiroshima in 1991, with Sega acquiring the franchise in 1998. The puzzle title, developed in Japan, requires players to clear their screen of coloured blobs by lining them up and popping them to create chain reactions called 'dairensa'. eSports featured at the previous two editions of the Asian Games, and Puyo Puyo is one of 11 medal events this year. The Asian Games are being held in Nagoya and the wider Aichi area from 19 September to 4 October.

Kurihara beat all four opponents to top Group A. His victories in the group stage set him up for the knockout rounds later in the event.

Kurihara says he eats eel to prepare for contests and secured his place on the Japan team at just 10 years old. Those selections saw him included in the national squad while still in primary school.

In February he beat an adult professional to win Sega's Puyo Puyo Grand Prix Final and he turned pro himself in April - two months before his 11th birthday. Those results preceded his selection for the Asian Games.

"The best feeling in the world is winning," Kurihara told the Japan Times., external "When I lose, I cry and try not to think about it too much. When the play doesn't go well it's not fun, so I want to quit. But I always come back. "I hope to win a gold medal for Japan."

Japan's youngest athlete in Asian Games history could also become the competition's youngest ever medallist. Indonesia's Bunga Nyimas holds the record, having won bronze in women's skateboarding aged 12 in 2018, and Kurihara will attempt to win gold on Saturday.