A Ukrainian has become world’s best cybersportsman in the online shooter game “Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.”
Professional video game player Alexander Kostylev — nicknamed s1mple and aged 21 — has topped the global ranking of the best “Counter-Strike” gamers compiled by HLTV.org, a Danish cybersports website.
Kostylev has been playing Counter-Strike since he was 16. Having played games professionally for six years, Kostylev has earned $420,000 and participated in 77 tournaments. He has won 14 global tournaments — six of them last year. The Ukrainian won $237,000 in 2018.
“This was such a historic year for s1mple (Kostylev),” said HLTV’s co-owner Petar Milovanovic, commenting on the ranking.
Ukrainian cybersportsman Alexander Kostylev’s results in 2018. Nicknamed s1mple, Kostylev plays “Counter-Strike: Global Offensive” shooter game for Ukrainian eSports organization NaVi.
The cybersportsman plays for the team Natus Vincere — or NaVi for short — a Ukrainian eSports organization with teams and players competing in “Counter-Strike: Global Offensive,” “Dota 2,” “FIFA,” “World of Tanks,” and “League of Legends.” Founded in 2009, NaVi is now a famous European cybersports team, winning numerous international awards. Its total winnings account for $3 million.
NaVi was the first team in Counter-Strike history to win three major tournaments in one calendar year — Intel Extreme Masters, Electronic Sports World Cup and World Cyber Games 2010. In last year’s major international tournament with a $1-million prize, called FACEIT Major: London, the NaVi team were runners-up.
Kostylev’s performance for the team was highly acclaimed: in 2018, Kostylev was named “most valuable player” two times, playing for NaVi at international tournaments.
“Having started as a very talented but inexperienced Ukrainian player, he has swiftly evolved into one of the superstars of the game,” Kostylev’s profile on the NaVi website reads.
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