#Faker Lee Sang-hyeok Interview
Q. How do you feel about finishing the group stage?
🐈⬛: This week, since we had matches starting early in the morning, I was honestly quite worried. I wondered if we would be able to get three wins. But now that we’ve actually managed to get all three wins today, I feel much more relieved and happy.
Q. What do you think will be the key to this tournament?
🐈⬛: I think the key to this tournament is making sure we win against teams that are considered relatively weaker than us, without allowing any unnecessary variables to come into play. Even though these were only preliminary matches, we played our best because we want to perform well in the main tournament later on.
Q. What are your thoughts on the match against Taiwan, who could be considered your opponent in the final?
🐈⬛: The match against Taiwan was essentially the most important one, and I’m really happy that the players played so well and allowed us to secure the victory. I think this has increased our chances of winning the gold medal, so I’m very pleased.
Q. Was it difficult playing matches in the morning?
🐈⬛: There’s no time difference when traveling from Korea to Japan, but since we’ve been shifting our wake-up time earlier, it almost feels like we have jet lag. It was a little difficult to adjust, but thankfully we were able to finish today well. Since most of our remaining matches will be in the afternoon, I think it’ll be easier for us to prepare going forward.
I think I woke up around 6:30 this morning.
Yes. At 6:30, it’s a time when we would normally still be sleeping and not have been awake for very long, so it wasn’t easy when we were told to get up at that time. Still, I thought it was a good experience, so I prepared for the match diligently. Well, I wouldn’t say it was exactly a good thing… but, yes.
Q. Why did you meditate before the match?
🐈⬛: I have a routine of meditating before every match, so I meditated today as well.
Q. What are your thoughts and goals for the remaining matches?
🐈⬛: We have more matches coming up one after another, so I’ll work hard during the remaining time and show you our best performance.
Q. As a national team player, what are your thoughts on participating in the next Asian Games?
🐈⬛: I don’t know what things will be like at the next Asian Games, but personally, I think it’s a wonderful opportunity for us as national team players to bring joy to many people through a sport that our country is particularly good at. I hope this sport, which so many fans love, can continue for a very, very long time.
Q. What are your thoughts on the organization and operation of this Asian Games?
🐈⬛: I’ve heard that there are quite a few challenging aspects to this Nagoya Asian Games. For our team, of course, the rooms are a little small, but I don’t think that really matters. I feel that we’re able to prepare comfortably in a pleasant environment, so we’ve been preparing without much difficulty.
Q. Did you get a sense of your popularity in Japan?
🐈⬛: Yes, I can definitely feel that gaming is becoming increasingly popular across Asia. A lot of people have been asking to take photos with me, so that has made me realize just how popular it has become. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to take as many photos with people this time as I would have liked. Still, I’d like to say thank you to everyone for taking such an interest in us and showing us so much love.
Q. A message to your fans?
🐈⬛: There are already people who have come all the way here to support us, and there’s been a tremendous amount of interest. We’ll prepare as hard as we can and do our very best to make sure that the Korean national team wins the gold medal. Thank you.
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