Players to watch after the Olympic Esports Week 2023
Check out Olympics.com's pick of players to watch following their performances at the inaugural Olympic Esports Week in Singapore.
From the qualifiers to the winning finalists, there is no shortage of fantastic talent among the competitors of the inaugural Olympic Esports Series and Olympic Esports Week. Perhaps you discovered a new favourite player? The good news is the Olympic Esports Series is far from the end of the competition for many of these players. Major circuits, tournaments and other competitions fill the calendar for 2023, 2024, and beyond. Esports, as a medium, never rests.
We've compiled a short list of players who have plenty of events and competitions ahead of them. Any fan of esports and high-level competition should keep an eye on their careers.
The new guard: Kylian Drumont (motor sport)
Every Gran Turismo 7 player had something similar to say about Drumont in the leadup to the motor sport finals at the Olympic Esports Series 2023.
"He's so fast," fellow Olympic Esports Series finalist Giorgio Mangano said. The Frenchman was the clear favorite to win the entire competition. And that's exactly what happened. Drumont pounded his steering wheel as he crossed the finish line to become the first Olympic Esports Series motor sport champion.
Drumont, who only recently became old enough to compete in professional Gran Turismo 7 tournaments, is part of a new wave of racers who are taking the competitive community by storm.
The road to recovery: He "Kafe" Shenghao (tennis)
Second-place finisher He "Kafe" Shenghao believes he owes a lot to Tennis Clash.
After getting into a serious car accident while driving home from a rock climbing trip, Kafe was desperate to find a game that would distract him while he spent a year in bed recovering. That game ended up being Tennis Clash. Now he's on the road to recovery – with more physical therapy on the horizon – and Tennis Clash is still a big part of his life.
Kafe also has played in the Roland-Garros eSeries, and we're likely to see him in a future tournament.
The top POWER PRO: Mori "Shora" Shoma (baseball)
Mori "Shora" Shoma wasn't too worried about whether or not he would qualify for the baseball finals at the Olympic Esports Series when the competition was first announced. After all, he was the defending champion of the Olympic Virtual Series in 2021.
But the To say the level of POWER PROS competition in Japan is fierce would be a major understatement. Other 2023 finalists from the USA and Chinese Taipei agreed Japan has some of the best players in the world.
And Shora? What does he think?
When asked if he considered himself the best POWER PROS player in the world, he had one thing to say:
"Yes," said with a huge smile.
A 'Toxic' dancer: Amandine "TheFairyDina" Morisset (Dance)
We're not calling Dina, the champion of the dance finals at the Olympic Esports Series 2023, toxic.
But rather she actually helped the Just Dance team remake the classic Britney Spears song, Toxic, for Just Dance 2023.
The French dancer and streamer's energy was infectious during the competition on June 23. It's part of the reason the judges loved each of her performances on her road to the gold trophy.
The Brazilian duo: Samuel Solano and Jose Godinho (sailing)
While neither player came out of the finals at the Olympic Esports Series with a trophy, the story of how these two players reconnected through Virtual Regatta after years apart is heartwarming. It's another example of how gaming and esports can bring us together.
Neither Solano or Godinho are done competing in their favorite mobile game, either. Solano came into the Olympic Esports Series as one of the most highly ranked players in the world. Goldinho just barely missed out on finishing within the top three. Both players will look to improve on their performance at the next possible opportunity.
Carrying a country: Thum "MindRPG" Homchuen (Street Fighter)
MindRPG wasn't as confident as he wanted to be ahead of the Street Fighter exhibition at the finals of the Olympic Esports Series 2023. He was facing off against players who had won major competitions at fighting game tournaments like EVO, after all.
But he ended up being wrong about his chances. The Thai Street Fighter player went on a dazzling run to end up in first place after a sweep in the exhibition final. He wanted to inspire others in Thailand to play Street Fighter, and he did more than that while on stage in Singapore.