As a fan who started watching broodwar through Flash, this momentous day makes my heart swell indeed. He set a new record for most titles in one year (EVER OSL beating Movie, HanaDaetoo MSL beating Jaedong, Bigfile MSL beating Jaedong, and this Korean Air OSL 2 beating Jaedong), beating iloveoov who had the record from 2004 (HanaFOS MSL, SPRIS MSL, EVER OSL).
He's had a crazy season - In PL - Leader in Season Wins, Season MVP, WL Gold, Finals Gold, Finals MVP; MSL Gold, and now OSL Gold (and he may very well win WCG as well).
He's the 1st player in history to reach both individual league finals 3 times in a row.
He's the 2nd player in history to win both individual leagues at the same time (after NaDa in 2002)
He's the 4th player in history to receive the Golden Mouse (after NaDa, July, and Jaedong).
If all goes well he will be the player who has earned the most (around 500,00,000 Won) in a year after sAviOr's record of 400,000,000 won in 05-06 season.
He's been labeled Bonjwa in Korea.
This is Lee Young Ho.
He's had a crazy season - In PL - Leader in Season Wins, Season MVP, WL Gold, Finals Gold, Finals MVP; MSL Gold, and now OSL Gold (and he may very well win WCG as well).
He's the 1st player in history to reach both individual league finals 3 times in a row.
He's the 2nd player in history to win both individual leagues at the same time (after NaDa in 2002)
He's the 4th player in history to receive the Golden Mouse (after NaDa, July, and Jaedong).
If all goes well he will be the player who has earned the most (around 500,00,000 Won) in a year after sAviOr's record of 400,000,000 won in 05-06 season.
He's been labeled Bonjwa in Korea.
This is Lee Young Ho.
Flash, "My focus today was to follow my instincts"
"I'll convert to Starcraft 2 when the time is right"
"I'll convert to Starcraft 2 when the time is right"
Q Your feelings on winning?
A I’m so happy. Over all else, because I was able to win the Golden Mouse, I'm even happier. On top of that, because I was able to win on a foreign stage that was held in Shanghai for the first time, I feel like my happiness is two-fold.
Q You’ve played Jaedong in the finals quite often - practice must've been difficult.
A There was a lot going through my head, so rather than using some other strategy I wanted to stick to my original instinct and mainly go 1rax double cc. I was faced with 4 pool so I did face some difficulty but because my concept today was "follow your gut" I think I was able to overcome it.
Q The road to winning was very dramatic.
A When I was faced with 4 pool, even though I had an advantageous build I lost so I was really angry. However, after defending 4 pool successfully in the 3rd set I was able to regain my confidence. I think that's why I was able to focus well in the 4th set and win.
Q We heard you’ve done nothing but practice for 2 days.
A The place I was practicing was right at the heart of Shanghai so I was only able to look around a little bit before practicing the rest of the time. Today I slept a lot to regain my strength. I warmed up my hands once I got here too. I plan on focusing on touring Shanghai tomorrow since I won (laughs).
Q Your strategy for the 4th set was 5 rax.
A Because Jaedong used such fast strategies in the 2nd and 3rd set, I modified my original strategy as well. I initially planned on a slow, steady game but I didn’t want to lose to Jaedong in mind games. Because of this I used a 5 rax to mess up his timing.
Q With this victory, you’ve risen to Bonjwa status.
A Receiving a title like that is quite an honor but compared to the players who rose to that level before, I think I’m still lacking. Though it’s nice if fans call me that, I still think “Ultimate Weapon” is better and more appropriate for me right now.
Q You might meet Jaedong again in the WCG finals.
A Our team is going on a break soon. Earlier after the finals finished, Jaedong and I exchanged blessings saying “let’s meet in LA”. After our team gets back from Cebu (Philippines), I’ve planned to meet Jaedong personally and have a meal with him. As big of an honor as it is to represent our country, I’ll make sure Jaedong and I work hard together to advance to the high levels and if I do end up meeting him in the finals, I want to have another great match with him.
Q What if you meet someone other than Jaedong?
A If I meet another player, I always have full confidence that I can beat them. I want to be able to compete with other players and present better games to the fans.
Q The difference between Korean and Chinese fans?
A Korean fans know every single thing about me pretty well. However, while Chinese fans may not care about me as much on a personal level, I think they seem more passionate about my gaming. I think there is a difference there.
Q You’ve received the Golden Mouse. Your thoughts on the future?
A I’ve heard they give something else for a player who wins 5 times. I’m going to set that as my new goal and run towards it.
Q Your thoughts on attempting Starcraft 2?
A As of now, I don’t have the time to properly attempt Starcraft 2. I am following the news on Starcraft 2 and staying updated on it. Once the time is right, I guess I’ll convert but for now I have absolutely no thoughts on doing so.
Q You've earned a lot of money this year.
A I'm so happy I was able to earn so much; I plan on giving it all to my parents. In the future I'll get a real present from them like a car or something else.
Q Before the game you greeted the fans in Chinese a little bit.
A I thought it would be rude if I came to China and wasn't able to speak any of the language so I sent a request to the interpretors. I had it memorized all day but I guess I was nervous because I forgot it on stage (laughs). I prepared that for my Chinese fans. I said I was happy I could meet them like this and that I would definitely win the Golden Mouse.
Q It rained a lot.
A Before the games as I was trying to warm up my hands it was raining so hard so I was worried too. I'm not sure if the heavens helped but right before the games the rain just stopped. In more ways than one I think fortune was on my side.
Q How does it feel holding the Golden Mouse?
A It weighs less than I thought it would (laughs). Because I was able to follow the achievements of other players I respect, I'm really happy. In the past, I watched Nada earn his Golden Mouse like a dream, and now I'm holding it myself today.
Q Last words you want to say?
A My parents, the executive staff, teammates, and coaching staff - I'm so happy to be here together with you guys. I also want to say thank you to the fans who cheered for me in Korea.
source: daily esports combined with fomos
Extended interview with fomos additions~
Feedback always welcome and appreciated!
Congratulations to my boy.