Aleksib: "This one was special. I'm grieving a loss of a close person, and I've tried my best to fight the emotions at IEM Rio"
2024-10-14 09:47:00NAVI captain Aleksi "Aleksib" Virolainen revealed that someone close to him passed away before or during IEM Rio 2024. He shared this on social media after claiming the trophy. The IGL said he was struggling with emotions throughout the CS2 tournament.
This one was special. I'm grieving a loss of a close person, and I've tried my best to fight the emotions. Hug your loved ones.
Sorry for not coming to signing session later. I’m glad I’ve met a lot of amazing fans during my stay here. Memories for life.
CS history knows many examples of players competing after personal tragedy. In 2019, Peter "dupreeh" Rasmussen got the news of his father passing away from cancer during the Major in Katowice. The player decided to remain at the event and won the tournament, showing a stellar performance. Rasmus "HooXi" Nielsen learned that his father deceased upon arrival at BLAST World Final 2022. The death was sudden, but the IGL didn't go back from Abu-Dhabi and won his first trophy with G2 Esports.
NAVI became the champions of IEM Rio 2024 despite having a shaky start. They lost to FURIA in the seeding decider of their group, and had a very tough semifinal against Heroic, always playing from behind. In the grand final, the team beat MOUZ with a score of 3:1.
