Since B1ad3 was brought over from Gambit in the winter of 2019 to coach Na’vi, the Ukrainian-based organization has had its longest stretch of success dating back to the CS 1.6 days. Starting in 2021, Na’vi has an impressive 18 first-place finishes in S-tier events. Their success culminated in earning the greatest CS player ever to grace the server, Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev, his first CS Major trophy in his career.
On top of the dominant in-game results under B1ad3, the 36-year-old, Ukrainian-born coach, unfortunately, had to deal with impossible circumstances throughout the majority of 2022 with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Na’vi faced insurmountable odds. Many questioned the viability of competing and improving with the threat of violence at their doorstep,
Despite the horror happening in their country, Na’vi and B1ad3 persisted. In a year where Na’vi faced improved competition from the dream FaZe roster, they managed to be consistently a top-three team. B1ad3 also dealt with roster complications and fitting in new names to a proven system. The arrival of Valerii “b1t” Vakhovskyi and Viktor “sdy” Orudzhev was a shift, but B1ad3 incorporated them efficiently and kept Na’vi competitive.
The nominee’s list for Esports Coach of the Year includes:
Furthermore, with no shortage of coaching talent to choose from, the voters opted for one of the most established names in the esports industry. Add on another momentous career achievement for B1ad3 and one earned off the back of overcoming incredible odds. He joins previous winners Byung-Chul “MOON” Moon, Lee ‘Heen’ Seung Gon, and CSGO legend Danny “zonic” Sørensen
The Esports Awards is streamed live from the Resorts World Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. The event is back to an in-person show after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID pandemic. With seats available for the general public, media, and guests, 2022 is one of the biggest years yet for the young Awards Show.
Stay tuned to esports for the latest about esports awards 2022.
