[Int] ODT Group A Winners

On June 23 2011 11:14 OpticalShot wrote:
Jaedong: "I'll unleash my fiery desires in the games to come."



Hwaseung's ace Jaedong stated that he'll "flourish like bright flames" in the starleague stages ahead. Now that he's overcome the initial challenge of being the same dual tournament group as Flash, he said that "I felt a special desire inside of me and that's why I advanced with 2 wins." He also added, "I haven't won a title in a while so I'll make it happen in this starleague."

Q: You advanced to the Ro16 with 2 wins.
A: I emptied my mind before arriving here. Couldn't practice much in the past few days. Advancing with 2 wins out of this group, I have to say that I got pretty lucky. Feels good to advance, of course. I told myself to just stick with the basics, and good results followed.

Q: You beat Bogus with ease in set 1.
A: 'New Bloody Ridge' is a pretty good map for ZvT so I'd say the map pool and order worked in my favour. I wasn't very familiar with the map 'Gladiator' so I mainly practiced on that map. Now that I look at it, I hit the right point in terms of practice. If the sets carried onto 'La Mancha', well then, I would have just let the heavens decide.

Q: In set 2, you faced Flash - for the 51st time. There were some shaky moments in the game.
A: First of all, Flash played a tremendous game. For me, I had a large advantage by mid-game so I chose the safest path to victory. Flash played well but I had such a big advantage from the beginning.

Q: Last season, you fell out at the Ro16. Goals for this season?
A: Lately my individual league results have been sub-par. When I first saw the dual tournament groups I sighed... but now that I've advanced out of it, I gained a lot of confidence. It's been a long time since I raised a trophy so this time, my goal is to win the title.

Q: Your team is facing a crucial stretch in the proleague. How will you prioritize your time?
A: For now the practice focus is on proleague. Now that I've advanced cleanly out of the starleague dual tournament, a big load has been shed. I'll take the confidence and momentum boost from today for the upcoming proleague matches.

Q: Any last words?
A: Thanks to all the fans who came out despite the bad weather. It's been quite a while since the last starleague match so I felt refreshed. Before the games began today, I felt that inner desire. I'll keep this for a long time and show everyone how passionate I am. Our team is facing a crucial stretch that will determine our fate regarding the proleague post-season, and we hope to finish with good results. Today was an off-day but Bee and Speed stayed behind to help me practice, so thanks a bunch!

Source: Reporter Woon Sung Park, DES

On June 23 2011 11:45 OpticalShot wrote:
Flash: "Trying to prioritize rehabilitation of my arm"



All day, people could tell from the facial expressions that KT Rolster's ace, Flash, was uncomfortable at the least. After the end of a game, the camera caught him holding his right arm and grimacing. As released on press earlier in the year, there were problems with his arm. It seems now that it's gotten worse. Flash plans to get an MRI on it and prioritize treatment and rehabilitation afterwards. Despite this, Flash continued his consecutive starleague appearance streak today.

Q: First thought on making it to the starleague group stage?
A: I'm happy to have made it. If I lost and fell out of the starleague dual tournament today, I would have to climb all the way from the preliminaries next season. I will not repeat the mistakes I made last season.

Q: You won easily in set 1.
A: I knew that I would advance out of the group if I clenched set 1.

Q: Did you know for sure you would be fine against Bogus and HyuN?
A: To be honest I wasn't too confident, because I didn't have the amount of practice I would normally have. When I saw the groups get sorted out, I knew I would be ok in my group. Advancing with a 2-1 record isn't the best case scenario, but at the end I advanced and I shall be happy with that.

Q: You played intensely in the winners' set.
A: I wasn't able to hold my mouse properly at times because of my arm. With physical conditions bothering me, I couldn't quite focus fully in the game. I still tried my best until the end so that I can be ready for the final set.

Q: How bad is the injury/illness?
A: I started receiving treatment yesterday. In two days I'll go get an MRI. My doctor told me that the nerves aren't damaged and the problem is only in my muscles, so I suppose it's not as bad as it could have been. Still I have trouble loosening my arm muscles after they get super tense. Doctor told me that I should be ok to continue my career as a progamer after the treatment. For now, I plan to prioritize treatment and rehabilitation over tournaments and gaming.

Q: So did you fully regain your game focus in the final set?
A: Not really. Even in the final set I didn't feel like I was in full control. After two weeks of treatment, I should be able to show my usual form in the games. Our organization have done its best in finding me the best possible medical help.

Q: Goal for this starleague?
A: I haven't settled on one yet. Lately I've been depressed - somewhat because I've been losing a lot, but more so because I'm worried about my arm/hand. I'll do what I can for this starleague. My team also reminded me that this season isn't the end of the world and I have to continue my career so I should focus on the treatment.

Q: Any last words?
A: First of all, thanks to the managers and coaches for connecting me to the best rehabilitation center available in this country. I was pretty depressed lately due to the injury/illness but I regained belief after seeing the doctor there. Special thanks to Head Coach Lee and Mr. Kim from the organization. I'll do my part in the rehabilitation process so that I can be a true ace player for KT Rolster in the post-season. I hope the fans won't worry too much.

Source: Reporter Woon Sung Park, DES