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View all search resultsJapan schoolboy, 11, wins gold while empty seats blight Asian Games
Kurihara, believed to be the youngest competitor at the Games in Aichi-Nagoya, romped to victory in the eSports game Puyo Puyo Champions 10-2 after going 1-0 down in the final.
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Japan's Yuki Kurihara competes in the Puyo Puyo Champions final of the eSports event during the 2026 Asian Games at the Aichi Sky Expo in Tokoname, Japan on Sept. 26, 2026. Japan's 11-year-old eSports prodigy Yuki Kurihara won Asian Games gold in style after thrashing a series of opponents up to three times his age. (AFP/Jiji Press)
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el-loving schoolboy Yuki Kurihara, 11, won an Asian Games gold medal in Japan on Saturday, more weightlifting world records were set and organizers admitted they were "not satisfied" with ticket sales after swathes of unsold seats were seen at the athletics.
Kurihara, believed to be the youngest competitor at the Games in Aichi-Nagoya, romped to victory in the eSports game Puyo Puyo Champions 10-2 after going 1-0 down in the final.
"To be completely honest, I felt a bit embarrassed, so I couldn't really show my expressions or change my face much," said Kurihara after blowing away a series of opponents, some three times his age.
Kurihara, who says he eats eel to prepare for contests, bowed slightly as he received his gold medal and gave a small wave.
"I'm really happy. The gold medal is really beautiful, shiny and heavy," he said.
Asian Games organizers admitted they were "not satisfied" with ticket sales after the main athletics stadium saw a sparse crowd for the feature 100-meter sprint finals.
The Games said that less than 60 percent of tickets had been snapped up for eight sports, including soccer and the showpiece closing ceremony.
"We are not satisfied," Satoshi Murate, secretary-general of the Games organizing committee, said in response to a question from AFP about spectator numbers.
Some tickets given to sponsors and other stakeholders had not been used, he added.
"Seats have been allocated but some people can't come. As a result, some competitions do have noticeable empty seats, and we find that regrettable."
The Games also apologized for transport and accommodation mix-ups that left some athletes stranded for hours.
"There have been mistakes in accommodation and transport, for various reasons," admitted Murate.
"Whatever the cause, AINAGOC [the organising committee] is responsible for providing the service and I sincerely apologise for the mistakes."
Gold, 16 years after silver
Three more world records were set in weightlifting, taking the Games total to 12, as North Korea's Ri Won Ju won the men's 70-kilogram for his country's fifth gold out of seven disciplines so far.
Japan's Masanori Miyamoto set a new snatch mark of 154kg but had to settle for silver when Ri lifted a world record 198kg in the clean and jerk for a 349kg total, also a new record.
Hosts Japan enjoyed success in the men's marathon when Ichitaka Yamashita broke clear of the pack with around six kilometres to go.
He crossed the finish line in the athletics stadium in 2 hours 10 minutes 49 seconds, 48 seconds in front of India's Sawan Barwal (2:11.37) with China's Feng Peiyou (2:12.13) taking the bronze.
In the women's marathon, Bahrain's Shitaye Habte finally won an Asian Games gold, 16 years after winning silver in the 10,000m at the Guangzhou Games.
The mother of three held off Ciren Cuomu of China and Japan's Mikuni Yada to cross the line in 2:27.31.
"Maybe it is the time to stop," said Habte.
"I am 36 years old. But my target for my last competition is the (2027) world championships. I have three babies and my second, he said, 'Mama, don't run'. He wants me at home. But now he will be very happy."
A second Games competitor failed a doping test, the International Testing Agency said.
Dayanch Keletliyev of Turkmenistan returned a positive test for the prohibited substance meldonium in an out-of-competition test on September 20. He lost in the karate kumite round of 32 the next day.
