There was no stopping Korea in the Hangzhou Gorge - it was the emergence of a legend.
The Korean national League of Legends (LoL) team defeated Chinese Taipei 2-0 in straight sets in the League of Legends Final of the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games at the Hangzhou Esports Center in Hangzhou, China on Monday. With the victory, Korea was crowned the inaugural League of Legends champions of the Asian Games.
In fact, many believed that Korea's gold medal was actually decided in the semifinals on the 28th.
South Korea and China, two of the world's strongest teams, faced off in the semifinals. 토토사이트
South Korea had previously lost to China in the final of the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang tournament, where League of Legends was a pilot event, to claim silver, but this time around, they swept the Chinese 2-0 to reach the final.
The Chinese were no match for the Koreans, who even trained a month earlier than the Koreans in the lead-up to the tournament to become the defending champions.
The team proved that South Korea is the best team in League of Legends at this tournament. From qualification to the final, they didn't drop a single set, defeating Hong Kong-Kazakhstan (Upper Bracket), Saudi Arabia (Quarterfinals), China (Quarterfinals), and Chinese Taipei (Final).|
In fact, South Korea, which sent Woo "Zeus" Choi (T1), Seo "Canavi" Jin-hyeok (Jingdong Gaming), Chobi "Chobi" Jeong-hoon (Genji), Park "Ruler" Jae-hyuk (Jingdong Gaming), and Ryu "Keria" Min-seok (T1) to the final, put on a dominant performance against Taiwan. The highly anticipated Lee "Faker" Sang-hyuk (T1) did not compete.
Ruler Park Jae-hyuk, who was on a tear in the final of the Jakarta-Palembang tournament, stood out in this tournament. The long-range dealer, who is responsible for the team's offense, completed a clean sweep against China on the 28th, dominating his teammate Zhao "Elk" Zhao (Bilibili Gaming). Against Chinese Taipei, Park played a key role in the team's comeback from an early deficit in the second set with a fiery offensive performance in each of the decisive one-hit fights.
Head coach Kim Jung-gyun's leadership also shone through.
In the lead-up to the tournament, Kim minimized external controversy by neatly handling issues such as the star-studded roster competition between faker Sang-hyuk and Chobi's Jeong-hoon. The team also won the tactical battle by using so-called "ban picks" (limiting the number of characters an opponent can pick) to catch their opponents off guard, such as in the second set against China.
Meanwhile, for the first time in Korean esports history, the national team will also receive military service benefits. However, the highly-touted faker Lee "Iggy" Sang-hyuk is reportedly already exempt from military service due to a long waiting list for public service.