11-year-old gold medallist makes history, teenage stars emerge: Aichi-Nagoya proves age is no barrier at Asian Games

The youngest to stun the Asian Games crowd on Saturday was 11-year-old Yuki Kurihara, a Japanese elementary school student who clinched gold in esports.

“Age is just a number” is often used when senior athletes turn back the clock, offer glimpses of their past glories or silence recent criticism with a stirring performance.

Japan's Yuki Kurihara celebrates with his gold medal after winning the Puyo Puyo Champions esports final at the Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

Strangely, at the Asian Games, the phrase has taken on a different meaning. At Aichi-Nagoya, teenagers and even younger athletes have been stealing the spotlight with performances well beyond their years.

The youngest to stun the crowd on Saturday was 11-year-old Yuki Kurihara, a Japanese elementary school student who clinched gold in esports.

Kurihara beat South Korea’s Kang Dongshin 10-2 in the final of the Puyo Puyo Champions puzzle game and, according to the Associated Press, became the youngest-ever gold medallist in Asian Games history, dating back to the inaugural edition in New Delhi in 1951.

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Teenagers have been making giant strides throughout these Games. Here are some of the young athletes who have caught the eye in Aichi-Nagoya.

Yu Zidi (China, swimming)

China’s 13-year-old swimming star Yu Zidi sealed a hat-trick of Asian Games titles with a dominant victory in the women’s 400m individual medley, clocking a Games-record 4min 28.56sec.

The 19-year-old etched his name in the history books after winning seven gold medals — in the 200m, 400m, 800m and 1,500m freestyle events, along with three relays.

He became the first swimmer to win seven gold medals at a single Asian Games, matching North Korean shooter So Gin-man’s overall record of seven golds at one edition. So Gin-man, however, remains the record-holder for most medals at a single Games, having won seven golds and a silver in 1982.

Shin Ohashi (Japan, swimming)

The breaststroke sensation became the first man to break the 2:05 barrier in the men’s 200m breaststroke, setting a new world record at the Asian Games.

Ohashi had already won gold in the 100m breaststroke after a dead heat with China’s Dong Zhihao. His performances have put him firmly among the names to watch ahead of the Los Angeles Olympics.

Anahat Singh (India, squash)

The 18-year-old scripted the biggest win of her career on Saturday, rallying to beat Japan’s world No. 6 Satomi Watanabe 3-2 and storm into the women’s singles squash final.

The victory guaranteed Anahat at least a silver medal and also kept alive her hopes of earning direct qualification for the Los Angeles Olympics.