NAVI Rookie B1t Becomes Second Highest-Earning Ukrainian CS:GO Player
An iconic debut year for a talented CS:GO player!
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Natus Vincere (NAVI) has enjoyed one of the most successful years in the history of CS:GO for any esports organization, winning eight tournaments including the Intel Grand Slam Season 3 and the PGL Major Stockholm 2021. One of the reasons why NAVI was able to accomplish this incredible feat was due to their talented rookie, Valerii "b1t" Vakhovskyi, who became a permanent member of the team's active lineup earlier this year.
Not only did the rookie bring stability to the CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) roster but also went on to perform spectacularly in the crucial LAN tournaments. His success along with that of his organization's has made him the seventh highest-earning Ukranian esports player ever, in terms of overall prize money won via tournaments, as per Esports Earnings.
B1t overtakes Dendi and Zeus to become the seventh highest-earning Ukrainian esports player
The 18-year-old Ukrainian entry fragger, b1t, in his first year as a professional top-tier CS:GO player for NAVI has gone on to earn $848,841 USD in tournament prize money through 2021.
B1t has competed in 15 CS:GO tournaments this year, standing victorious in eight of them along with NAVI, which include two BLAST Premier World/Global Championships, the Stockholm Major, IEM Cologne, and even an Intel Grand Slam title.
The rookie struggled through the online phase while adjusting to the team, but then he delivered powerful performances on LAN and showcased how quickly he was able to adapt to the team's environment and demands. This is probably why he won the title of 'Esports PC Rookie of the Year' at Esports Awards 2021 while up against other talented nominees like Tyson "TenZ" Ngo, Ayaz "NAts" Akhmetshin, Dmitry "sh1ro" Sokolov, and more.
B1t's success in 2021 has led him to become the seventh highest-earning esports player from Ukraine across all titles in terms of overall tournament prize winnings. If only CS:GO is taken into consideration, b1t is the second highest-earning Ukrainian player after Oleksandr "s1mple" Kostyliev.
The top five Ukrainian CS:GO players according to overall prize money won via tournaments is as follows,
Oleksandr "s1mple" Kostyliev | $1,518,238.65 USD
Valerii "b1t" Vakhovskyi | $848,841.03 USD
Daniil "Zeus" Teslenko | $689,568.70 USD
Ioann "Edward" Sukharev | $613,854.60 USD
Kirill "ANGE1" Karasiow | $173,979.82 USD
There is already a difference of more than $150,000 USD between b1t's single-year prize money earnings and what Zeus earned via tournaments in the last 17 years. Addtionally, when all esports titles are considered, b1t has even overtaken Dota legend Danil "Dendi" Ishutin whose overall tournament earnings stand at $809,470.53 USD.
With NAVI already establishing its era in 2021, they are heading into 2022 with a big target on their head. If b1t continues to grow, next year might turn out to be more fruitful for NAVI.
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