Schoolboy, 11, claims esports gold as Asian Games battles empty seats

Yuki Kurihara, an 11-year-old schoolboy from Japan, won gold at the Asian Games on Saturday, defeating his opponent 10-2 in the final of the esports title Puyo Puyo Champions.

Kurihara had to come from behind to take the title, having trailed 1-0 early in the contest before reeling off a run of games to close it out in Aichi-Nagoya.

He is believed to be the youngest competitor at these Games, and his win adds an unusual footnote to a multi-sport event that has increasingly folded esports into its programme.

According to Guardian Sport, Kurihara has a fondness for eel, a detail that has attached itself to coverage of his victory as much as the scoreline itself.

Elsewhere in Aichi-Nagoya, the weightlifting competition continued to produce records, with more world marks broken on the same day as Kurihara's win, according to Guardian Sport.

The picture away from the medal table was less flattering for the hosts. Organisers acknowledged that ticket sales have fallen short of expectations, with swaths of empty seats visible at the athletics events.

Asked about the sales figures, organisers said they were "not satisfied" with how tickets had moved, a rare public admission of concern midway through a Games that Japan is hosting.

The contrast between a sold-out sense of occasion for a viral teenage champion and thin crowds at track and field sessions has become one of the running storylines of these Games, as reported by Guardian Sport via agency copy.

With competition continuing across both traditional and esports disciplines, organisers face a fortnight of balancing marquee moments, such as Kurihara's win, against the broader question of whether the host nation's public appetite matches the scale of the event it is staging.

Further results from the athletics and weightlifting programmes are expected in the coming days as the Asian Games continue in Aichi-Nagoya.