After losing narrowly to FaZe 2:3 during the grueling eight-hour Finals at IEM Cologne 2022, NAVI’s star S1mple tossed away his runner-up medal to an audience member in the crowd.
In the Finals, S1mple performed excellently, and despite the loss, he earned the MVP Award. But this is the third time that he has won an MVP award and a silver medal together.
When asked by an interviewer from HLTV, the Ukrainian player denied that his behavior was caused by frustration.
“No, I'm just traveling all the time with my bag, and I don't have a place for the big DHL MVP [laughs],” he said. “And this medal is... too many medals inside this bag, you know; I need to save them for home.”
S1mple caused a heated discussion on Reddit about whether he showed poor sportsmanship and disrespect. Some fans defended him, saying that he didn’t throw the medal with anger but gently to someone and then smiled.
One thing for sure is that the defeat at the hands of FaZe bitterly disappointed NAVI. Currently, FaZe is only one IEM trophy away from an Intel Grand Slam.