NAGOYA - Eleven-year-old Japanese schoolboy Yuki Kurihara made Asian Games history on Saturday by winning gold in eSports, while a series of world records in weightlifting and athletics provided further highlights on a day overshadowed by concerns over sparse crowds and ticket sales. Kurihara, believed to be the youngest competitor at the Aichi-Nagoya Games, defeated his opponent 10-2 in the final of Puyo Puyo Champions, recovering impressively after losing the opening game. The young Japanese player, who says eating eel helps him prepare for competitions, remained composed throughout the contest despite facing opponents as much as three times his age. “I’m really happy. The gold medal is really beautiful, shiny and heavy,” Kurihara said after receiving his medal.
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His victory came as organisers acknowledged that spectator numbers had fallen short of expectations at several venues. The main athletics stadium again featured large areas of empty seating, prompting the organising committee to admit it was unhappy with ticket sales. Organising committee secretary-general Satoshi Murate said fewer than 60 percent of tickets had been sold for eight sports, including football, as well as the closing ceremony. He explained that some seats allocated to sponsors and other stakeholders had also gone unused. The organisers also apologised for transportation and accommodation problems that reportedly left some athletes stranded for hours, accepting responsibility for the disruptions.
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Weightlifting provided another major spectacle, with six more world records taking the Games total to 15 in the first four days. North Korea’s Ri Won Ju won the men’s 70kg title after setting a world record of 198kg in the clean and jerk, finishing with a record 349kg total. Japan’s Masanori Miyamoto claimed silver.
Indonesia’s Rahmat Erawan Abdullah successfully defended his Asian Games 75kg title, establishing world records in the clean and jerk at 206kg and total at 366kg. North Korea’s Ri Chong Song, who opened the competition with a world-record snatch of 162kg, eventually settled for bronze after failing with his final two clean-and-jerk attempts. On the athletics track, Bahrain’s Salwa Naser stormed to women’s 400m gold in an Asian Games-record 49.20 seconds, while compatriot Nelly Korir also set a Games record in the women’s 1,500m. Thailand’s Joshua Atkinson edged the UAE’s Sulaiman Abdulrahman to win the men’s 400m, while Bahrain’s Shitaye Habte finally captured Asian Games marathon gold after 16 years. Japan also suffered disappointment in women’s basketball, losing 75-70 to leave the home crowd at Nagoya’s 17,000-capacity Aichi International Arena heartbroken. The International Testing Agency meanwhile confirmed a second doping case at the Games, with Turkmenistan karate athlete Dayanch Keletliyev testing positive for meldonium.
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