Cover-Credits:
The ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023 came to a close with Gaimin Gladiators suffering a heartbreaking defeat after Azure Ray pulled off an incredible reverse sweep in the grand finals. This is Gaimin Gladiators' third consecutive loss at a marquee tournament after the Riyadh Masters 2023 and The International 2023.
After the loss, some players from Gaimin Gladiators shared heartfelt messages on social media about how close they came to winning and reflected on the year.
Conversely, this win proved to be monumental for the Chinese scene after a rough couple of years. Many in the Dota 2 community believe that this could inspire a new generation of talents from the region.
GG Players React to Loss At ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023
Gaimin Gladiators carry Anton "dyrachyo" Shkredov had to suffer the brunt of the ridicule and memes after he had commented that his team would secure a 3-0 victory over Azure Ray in the pre-match interview.
After the game, he took to Telegram to explain that the tournament organizers asked him to make the promos for the grand finals "spicy." He claimed that ESL asked for more “content,” he said “ESL asked for more content, like ‘It will be easy, this and that.’ And that's basically what I did. So everyone who hates me, speaks about karma, that I got dunked on, you are fools, that's it.”
Additionally, he described the loss as "disgraceful" but didn't dwell on it, emphasizing the importance of learning from defeats. He regretted not ending the year on a high note, admitting that his own performance and some poor strategic choices contributed to the loss. Despite this, he remained positive about the overall experience.
Gaimin Gladiators midlaner Quinn "Quinn" Callahan also took to X to share his perspective after the loss at the grand finals. He expressed gratitude for the wonderful year the team had in 2023 and for the support and friends. He remarked that he was “very fortunate and appreciative of what I have.”
Notably, Gaimin Gladiators have six tournament titles under its belt in 2023 along with being the runner up for The International 2023.
Lastly, Melchior "Seleri" Hillenkamp who plays position five support also took to X to congratulate Azure Ray and lauded the miraculous reverse sweep they managed to pull off at the grand finals. He remarked that it was a “very sad way to lose,” and that he may be sad for a while because Gaimin Gladiators strived for victory.
Gaimin Gladiators were up 2-0 by the second game in the best of five but were taken by surprise by the sudden comeback from Azure Ray. Azure Ray’s reverse sweep at the ESL Grand finals was nothing short of a fairy tale ending for the newly formed team roster. As the runner up, Gaimin Gladiators took home $175,000 and earned 3,600 points.
