Taiwan player a finalist for Esports 'breakthrough player' award

Taipei, July 8 (CNA) Taiwanese esports player Wang "Kagami" Yuan-hao has been named one of eight finalists in the Esports Awards Breakthrough Player of the Year category after shocking the esports world in February when he won the Capcom Cup X.

Also known as "Uma" because of his game ID "UMA 327," Kagami was the first Taiwanese ever to be listed as a finalist for the breakthrough player award, the winner of which will be announced at the Esports Awards ceremony in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Aug. 24.

According to the Esport Awards website, the breakthrough player of the year is a player who has competed over the past 12 months, had not previously been considered a top player, and achieved success in their chosen game.

Kagami earned consideration after winning the Capcom Cup X championship playing Street Fighter 6 and pocketing US$1 million in prize money. It was the first time any player had won that much in a single fighting game event.

Active in esports activities since 2017, the "broke" and "unsponsored" Kagami was not considered to be among the favorites at the tournament in Los Angeles, even by other Taiwanese players and fans, the Liquipedia Fighting Games site said.

When asked after his win in February about the doubts he overcame, Kagami joked that "I knew I would take it when it was announced the prize money for the champion would be US$1 million."

His previous best result was winning the CPT 2023 World Warrior: Asia East Regional Final and pocketing the US$3,500 first prize.

The Liquipedia site said the Taiwanese orginally competed in Street Fighter V under the name "Kagami," but changed his tag to "Uma" when Street Fighter 6 came out and started to get better results.

The award winner will be determined by online voting that ends on Aug. 20, and the Chinese Taipei Esports Association (CTESA) urged Kagami backers to vote for him prior to the deadline.