'Youngest All-Time AG Gold Medalist Kim' 11-Year-Old Japanese Elementary Student, Show Poker Face! "Embarrassed to Change My Expression → Overjoyed Inside" [Aichi Nagoya AG]

*This content was translated by AI.

The 11-year-old boy did not even blink an eye at the moment the gold medal was confirmed after the final match. Only upon entering the mixed zone did he finally regain the innocent, mischievous smile of a pure elementary school student. Kurihara Yuki (stage name: Yuki · Tokyo Verdy), a fifth-grade elementary school student and member of Japan's eSports representative team who set a historic record as the youngest gold medalist in Asian Games history, revealed his true feelings.

On the 26th, at the '2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games' eSports puzzle game 'Puyo Puyo' final held at the Aichi International Exhibition Hall in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, Kurihara defeated South Korea's Kang Dong-shin (25), who represented his country, with a set score of 10-2 and claimed the gold medal.

According to Japanese media Sports Hochi, after the award ceremony, Kurihara entered the mixed zone with the Japanese flag draped over his shoulders, beaming with a wide smile as he shared his thoughts: "I am truly happy. I sincerely feel good about defeating all the strong opponents and winning the championship." When asked why his expression remained unchanged immediately after winning, he admitted, "Honestly, I was a bit embarrassed to change my expression. In fact, I was extremely happy inside," revealing the innocent true feelings of an 11-year-old boy.

It was a flawless victory that saw Kurihara defeat Kang Dong-shin, a veteran of the South Korean representative team, twice from the group stage through to the final. The early flow of the final match was not easy. After losing the first round to Kang Dong-shin and appearing shaken, Kurihara launched a fierce counterattack starting from the second round. During the match, he stunned the spectators filling the arena with an astonishing "15-combo" that left mouths agape.

In the decisive fifth round, Kang Dong-shin pushed Kurihara to the brink of defeat with a masterful "all-clear" that cleared the field completely. However, Kurihara overcame the crisis with superhuman composure. He turned the incoming blocking blocks against him, countering them all at the last moment to snatch the round, then seized complete control of the flow and scored consecutive points to seal the match with a 10-2 victory.

The growth of the 11th-year-old boy who achieved a perfect "victory of experience" against an opponent 14 years his senior is unstoppable. Kurihara, who displayed extraordinary talent since first grade in elementary school, has conquered the Asian Games summit following his win at this year's Puyo Puyo Grand Prix Final. The genius boy who set a historic record surprisingly dreams of becoming a "train company institutional investor."

With this achievement, 11-year-old Kurihara broke the previous record held by Indonesia's Fung Nimas (then 12 years old), who won a bronze medal in women's street skateboarding at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Games, updating it after eight years and building a golden monument as the "youngest gold medalist in Asian Games history."

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*This content was translated by AI.