Charanjot Singh, one of India's star FIFA pros, and Street Fighter V athlete Mayank Prajapati produced sensational performances to secure themselves berth for the 2022 Asian Games after winning the titles at the Esports Federation of India's (ESFI) National Esports Championships 2022 (NESC '22) on Saturday.
Charanjot outclassed Karman Singh with a score of 4-1 and 6-5 in a nail-biting FIFA 22 grand finals. The Chandigarh resident Charanjot, who made headlines last year after winning the AIFF eFootball Challenge 2021, made his mark in the national qualifiers by entering the finals from the loser bracket before he defeated a strong opponent Karman, who made it into the finals from the winner bracket.
The ongoing NESC '22 has been played virtually due to the pandemic as the winners will be selected to represent the country at the upcoming Asian Games, scheduled in Hangzhou, China from September 10-25. ESFI has been conducting national qualifiers in a double-elimination format for five popular Esports titles--DOTA 2, Hearthstone, FIFA22, Street Fighter V, and League of Legends. Esports will be played as a medal sport for the first time ever at the Asian Games.
After winning the NESC '22 and securing himself a berth for the Asiad, Charanjot Singh expressed his feelings by saying, "I'm really happy and proud of myself for winning the NESC Fifa Qualifiers. It's a great feeling to represent India in FIFA. Its sheer dedication and hard work resulted in getting the spot in the Asian Games 2022 and it allowed me a chance to bring the laurels to the country. The right mentality and proper grind towards the game make everything possible and a sure-shot path to get success. I can't wait to represent India at the Asian games and do my best to get that medal home."
Meanwhile in the grand finals of Street Fighter V, Mayank aka "MiKeYROG" defeated Ayan Biswas by 3-0. Out of 15 players who registered for SFV, both Mayank and Ayan showed immense skills in their gameplay. The dominant between the two, Mayank secured his berth for the Asian Games 2022 by showcasing extraordinary skills. He was undefeated throughout the tournament. Delhi athlete Mayank is a popular face in the Indian fighting game community and got into Street Fighter in 2009.
"It's a dream come true moment for me. I'm super excited for Asian Games 2022. This is really huge and it will definitely put the Indian FGC's name on the global map. This is a lifetime opportunity and I'm going to put every ounce of energy into getting the gold medal for my country. Also, a big thanks to ESFI for handling the qualifiers with such ease and providing Indian FGC with such an amazing opportunity," said elated Mayank Prajapati.
Later in the tournament, the Top-6 in the esports title Hearthstone--Tirth Mehta, Vinayak Subramanian, Karthik Varma Vegesna, Shikhar, Adarsh Shivam and Garv Arora, will battle it out for the title and also a place in the Indian contingent for the Asian Games.
The quarter-finalists from the playoffs who will be fighting it out to compete in the DOTA 2 finals are Team Whoops, Serene Chaos, 1 Misal 3 Pav, Team Avengers, DMC, Digicont, Stylish Gamers and New Gods.
As there are only four teams (Temple of Kings, Support No Vision, Pineapple Cake and Coco Cats) registered for the esports title League of Legends, all four are directly clashing in the semi-finals of the national qualifiers.
The winners of NESC '22 will participate in the AESF's Road to Asian Games - Regional Qualifiers (June-July, 2022), which are being held for seeding at the main event in China.
( With inputs from ANI )
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