Tuesday, 3 June 2025

Interview with BRICS Championship participant South African Sydney Michelle 'KYōi' Wood

Capetonian, Sydney Michelle 'KYōi' Wood, at the BRICS Esports Championships in Moscow, Russia.

On June 1, the BRICS Championship for Sber Prizes, which was held for the third time, ended in Moscow. This year, athletes from 20 countries came to the tournament, and among them was one athlete - Sydney Michelle 'KYōi' Wood from the Republic of South Africa. The press service of the Russian Federation of Electronic Sports did not miss the opportunity to talk to Sydney. Unfortunately, KYōi failed to reach the playoffs of the tournament, but the athlete showed a good result, gained tremendous experience, which will certainly be useful to her in future competitions.

In an interview with Sydney Michelle KYōi, Wood talked about her path in esports, why she chose Tekken, her future plans, and gave advice to girls who are just starting their esports adventure. 

– Tell us about your path in esports. Why did you choose Tekken 8? What hooked you on it? – I liked Tekken since I was a kid, I started playing with the first version. I had a PlayStation 1, which is where it was. Then updates came out, and I played them too. 

– Is this your first time in Russia? How do you like Moscow? Do you have a list of places you would like to visit? – Yes, this is my first time in Russia. To be honest, I don’t have any places I would like to visit. I trust the team manager, who made a list of attractions to visit. He has already been to Russia four times and knows exactly what you should definitely see here. 

– You participated in the group stage of the tournament, but did not make it to the playoffs. What was the most difficult? Share your emotions. – I can say that there were both difficult and easy matches. Of course, the most difficult match was against the three-time winner of the BRICS Championship – Zhoulin XCC Chen. Of course, I am upset that I did not manage to reach the second day of the tournament, but I only started training actively five months ago. I am not discouraged and will continue training to achieve better results. I love the competitive spirit, so I am not discouraged and when I return home I will continue training actively.

– Did you analyze your opponents’ game before the tournament? What do you think you lacked to win? – First of all, experience, which I, of course, have less of than the other guys. When I went, I knew that there would be stronger players in Russia. I didn’t expect to take a prize place. I came first of all for gaming experience, which I got – that’s the most important thing. Before the matches, I didn’t watch my opponents’ games, but when we had training, I played against some of them. I hope that next year I’ll be able to come to the tournament again and show what I’ve learned. 

– Tell me about the process of preparing for the tournament? – I’m on a team, we get together and play a lot together. In my free time, I watch matches of popular Tekken players and try to analyze everything I saw and then apply it myself. Among my favorite streamers, I can highlight Mr. Croft and Silantro. It also happens that I find players online whose level of play is much higher than mine, and I train with them. 

– Does the state and private companies support eSports in South Africa? – Yes, in our country there are opportunities for the development of women's eSports and women in it. But the main problem is finding them (laughs). The state supports, but as for private companies, I can't say for sure.

– What do you do besides eSports? Or is eSports your full-time job?– I have a permanent job, but I would like eSports to become my main income in the future. But for this, I need to train more and harder. In my free time, I like to draw, sing, and shoot content for my social networks (smiles).

– Recently, we have seen that women’s eSports are developing at an incredible speed all over the world. Women’s teams are invited to tier-1 tournaments. Is there a female eSports player who inspires you?– The male scene is certainly better developed at the moment. That is why my selection of players includes more male eSports players than female eSports players. But I can still single out one female eSports player from Japan – Yuyu. I dream of meeting her and playing a match.

– Which Tekken eSports player would you like to meet and play with? – I would like to play against Mr.Croft again, whom I mentioned above. I had experience playing against him, but I would like to play with him again. Besides him, I would like to meet Silnatro, Knee and Arslan.

– Have you ever faced criticism from eSports players that women play much worse?– I have often encountered such statements that there is no place for girls in eSports and that men play much better and more professionally. That is why I often play without a microphone, because if they hear a woman’s voice, they immediately start judging and saying something. I want to say that many male eSports players underestimate women’s eSports and women’s play. We just need more time and practice, and we can easily compete with them. I advise all girls not to pay attention to this, to continue playing and training for their own pleasure. The best thing they can do is to train and train again. Nothing and no one should lead you astray! It is better to focus on yourself and your game. The worst thing they can do is to allow criticism to doubt themselves. 

– How do your parents and relatives feel about you doing eSports? – I live with my grandparents, they are completely okay with me wanting to actively develop in this area. Together with my son, they follow all the competitions where I play and support me very much. 

– Name the top 3 characters in Tekken 8. – Ling Xiaoyu, Lars and Bryan Fury. 

– What are the top 3 places you should definitely visit when you come to South Africa? Your places of power and where you like to spend time. – If you come to South Africa, I strongly advise you to visit the Victoria and Albert Waterfront, the Garden Route National Park and Table Mountain.

The streamed games may be viewed on: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2473351358?filter=archives&sort=time

Republished with kind permission from: https://resf-ru.translate.goog/news/intervyu-s-uchastnicey-chempionata-stran-briks-yuzhnoafrikankoy-sidni-mishel-KYi-vud/?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=wapp

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