'Faker' Makes 'Calm Entry' into Nagoya... "Waking Up Early Is Key"

[Anchor]

"Faker" Lee Sang-hyeok, who is aiming for consecutive victories in the League of Legends eSports tournament, has arrived in Nagoya, the battleground. The world's top star shared unique thoughts upon his arrival, saying, "Since matches start in the morning, adjusting our biological rhythms is the key."

Reporter Yu Byeongmin met him on-site.

[Reporter]

Unlike the Hangzhou Asian Games, where hundreds of fans crowded the airport arrivals area, League of Legends has lower popularity in Japan compared to other countries. As a result, the world's top star, Faker Lee Sang-hyeok, arrived in a relatively calm atmosphere.

[Lee Sang-hyeok (Faker) / League of Legends National Team Member: Coming to Nagoya really makes it sink in, and I have that same nervous excitement I felt back when we went to Hangzhou.]

The opening match will be held at 9:00 AM, a time he has never experienced before. He stated that the key is adjusting his biological rhythm, which has always been accustomed to evening matches, to fit the tournament schedule.

[Lee Sang-hyeok (Faker) / League of Legends National Team Member: Since it's not the time we usually play matches, we need to move our wake-up time 6 to 7 hours earlier, and I think we will adapt here locally.]

Regarding the narrow business hotel accommodations, which he has never experienced since becoming a star, he remained positive, believing he would be able to rest much better than in Hangzhou, where he suffered from overwhelming autograph requests at the athletes' village.

[Lee Sang-hyeok (Faker) / League of Legends National Team Member: In Hangzhou, I took pictures and interacted with athletes from various sports. Of course that was nice, but honestly it was also a bit difficult. As for the accommodation, as long as there's a place to sleep, I sleep well, so I'm not too worried.]

With formidable rival China not participating, winning back-to-back gold medals looks likely, but he promised not to let his guard down and to deliver another golden click.

[Lee Sang-hyeok (Faker) / League of Legends National Team Member: Thinking about the gold medal makes my heart swell and feel overwhelmed. I think it's now our turn to show that side of us.]

With four days left, Lee Sang-hyeok will aim for the historic first-ever consecutive gold medals through flawless preparation.

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Meanwhile, the fighting game national team—consisting of Tekken player Bae Jae-min, Street Fighter player Yeon Je-gil, and King of Fighters player Lee Kwang-no—is currently locked in a fierce final showdown against Japan.

(Video by Choi Dae-woong | Video Editing by Park Na-young)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.