Vitality Crush Spirit To Claim IEM Katowice Title
This marks Vitality’s first title since their IEM Cologne win last year and comes just under two months after adding Robin “ropz” Kool to their roster. The team delivered their strongest performance yet with the Estonian rifler, taking control of the series from the very beginning.
The series began on Dust2, Spirit’s map pick, where Vitality quickly took control. They established a 7-5 lead in the first half, with ropz securing 26 kills with only 9 deaths. Vitality closed the map with a 13-6 win.
Moving onto Nuke, their own map choice, they continued their dominance. ZywOo was the star of the show, leading with 26 kills and only 6 deaths, as the team built an 8-4 first-half lead before sealing the map 13-5.
Mirage provided the most intense battle of the series. Vitality once again took an 8-4 lead in the first half, but Spirit mounted a strong comeback, leveling the score at 11-11. Despite the pressure, Vitality held firm, securing the final two rounds to claim a hard-fought 13-11 victory and complete the clean sweep.
Beyond just the title, Vitality’s performance at Katowice highlighted significant improvements in their gameplay, particularly on the T side. They ended the event with a tournament-best 60.4% win rate on the attacking side, a stark improvement from the 46.5% they posted during the online portion of BLAST Bounty and the 40.9% at the LAN Finals.
ZywOo’s exceptional performance throughout the tournament earned him the MVP award, bringing him level with s1mple’s record of 21 MVP medals in Counter-Strike history. For apEX, it marks the end of an 11-year pursuit of the trophy.
Vitality is now set to compete in ESL Pro League Season 21 and BLAST Open Spring 205, with fans eager to see if they can maintain their winning form.
What did the players say?
Having first competed in the event in 2015, Dan “apEX” Madesclaire said that “It took time but I’ve finished the game, won every big tournament,” he said after the match. “It finally happened. It was my best final for years individually. I wanted this so much. I’ll be 32 in a few days. You set new goals all the time. All the people who want me to retire, I won’t, I’m sorry”.
