Showing posts with label KNEE. Show all posts
Showing posts with label KNEE. Show all posts

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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Sunday, 19 April 2020

Rankings: Tekken 7 rankings

Charlize Seremak, who represented South Africa at IESF's 11th World Championships, heads South Africa's current rankings.
International Esports Federation (IESF) has already announced that Tekken 7 shall be played at its 12th World Championships - Eilat - in November 2020. Thus there is frantic activity in the game title as players jostle for position in order to be selected for MSSA's Protea Team.

Ever since Vittorio Puissa represented Mind Sports South Africa (MSSA) in 2011 in IESF's World Championships, MSSA has always submitted a full team to such world championships in every single year that the Tekken game title was held. 

Since 2012, three females have represented South Africa in Tekken at IESF World Championships, being:  Lyrene Kűhn, Morizane Boyes, and Charlize Seremak.

It should be noted that all MSSA Regional, Provincial, and National Championships, as well as online championships and online leagues count towards selection to the national team.

Being selected to represent South Africa at IESF's World Championships is the highest honour that an esports athlete in South Africa can earn. Such player is awarded the much coveted Protea Colours - the same as in any other sport, and the experience of being thrust among the world's best legends in the game.

The current South African rankings for the Tekken 7 esports title after MSSA's 11th Online Provincial Championships held on 18 April 2020 is as follows:
PosName of PlayeryearClubPoints
1Charlize Seremak20ZAG Academy150.1
2Shaun Claudio Lopes19North West University - Vaal145.8
3Mhlengi Nkosi19North West University - Vaal141.7
4Sean Mfuna19North West University - Vaal129.2
5Pieter Oelefse19HTS Sasolburg114.4
6Baber Abbas19Knights Mind Sports114.4
7Michael Janse van Rensburg19HTS Sasolburg114.4
8Wernich 'PANDA' Botha19JCS Academy114.4
9Lerato Thapedi19Masters of Mind Sports114.4
10Chiney Wallace18HTS Sasolburg114.4
11Brian Lin18Masters of Mind Sports114.4
12Marchelle van Niekerk18HTS Sasolburg114.4
13Joost Loftus18Masters of Mind Sports114.4
14Yu-Hsien Lin18North West University - Vaal114.4
15Mpho Ntsala18Fakkel School of Skills114.4
16Pieter Lourens18BNKR114.4
17Armand Botha18Hoërskool Generaal Hertzog114.4
18Fanie Nel18HTS Tom Naudé114.4
19Luan Joubert18Hoerskool General Hertzog114.4
20Nadine Swart18HTS Witbank114.4
21Reinder v Wyk18JCS Academy114.4
22Lehlohondo Moloi18North West University - Vaal114.4
23Jan Hendrik Van Aswegen18Hoërskool Generaal Hertzog114.4
24Waldo Joubert18BNKR114.4
25Leighton Howells18Cambridge High School114.4
26Kopano Majeko18Curro Klerksdorp114.4
27Leonard Loftus18Masters of Mind Sports114.4
28Darnell Fynn18Empangeni High School114.4
29Junior Mpembe18Fakkel School of Skills114.4
30Liam Murdoch18Hoerskool General Hertzog114.4
31James Griffiths18HTS Witbank114.4
32Luan Stoltz18Hoerskool General Hertzog114.4
33Amo Mojapelo18HTS Tom Naudé114.4
34Dean Jooste18Fakkel School of Skills114.4
35Leoné Loftus18Fakkel School of Skills114.4
36Benniel Botha18Fakkel School of Skills114.4
37Cilliers Swanepoel19Curro Klerksdorp114.1
38Gawie Fick18Fakkel School of Skills114.1
39Chaz Keefer18HTS Tom Naudé114
40Ian Halgreen18Empangeni High School114
41Neo Mankwe18Fakkel School of Skills113.6
42Leran Shahriar18Northcliff High School113.5
43Kyle Graham18Fakkel School of Skills111.9
44Pieter van der Merwe18JCS Academy111.4
45Hennie Small18Fakkel School of Skills110
46Jayden Gopalkista18Hoerskool General Hertzog110
47Surprise Mafuma19North West University - Vaal110
48Boyi Mantso18Fakkel School of Skills109.5
49Justin Brown18Northcliff High School109.5
50Kade Ortner18Northcliff High School109.5
51Cole Manley18HTS Tom Naudé108.8
52Micaela Hodgkinson18JCS Academy107
53Costa Kinguae18HTS Sasolburg105.9
54Kristen Cockeran18Fakkel School of Skills105.3
55Coenraad Oosthuizen18HTS Tom Naudé104.5
56Unathi Nzimande18Empangeni High School104.5
57Chiney Wallace19HTS Sasolburg104.5
58Jeremy Seremak19ZAG Academy103.3
59Jonathan Brown19Team Playbell100
60Mhlengi Nkosi19North West University - Vaal95
61Dwayne van Niekerk18Fakkel School of Skills95
62Natalie Swanepoel18Fakkel School of Skills95
63Raken Belayet18Curro Klerksdorp95
64Bokamoso Smith19HTS Sasolburg95
65Jodie-Ray Nelson18Empangeni High School90.3
66Kokeletso Molepo18HTS Tom Naudé90.3
67Sean Mehlo18Northcliff High School90.3
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