Brazilian CS:GO coach Wilton ‘zews’ Prado has shocked fans with a dramatic weight loss transformation seen in a ‘Coach Confidential’ video with his team, MiBR.
Returning to the roster that he helped coach to numerous victories under the Luminosity and SK Gaming banners, zews is looking to get the team back to peak form in 2019.
But, Prado himself already appears to be reaching peak form individually following weight loss surgery to help improve his overall health.
zews with SK Gaming in 2016.
Speaking on Reddit in response to *the original version of this article, zews explained that he had the surgery due to problems with sleep apnea and his mental health.
“I couldn’t go on like that as it was not only affecting my profession but all of my life. My mental health was deteriorating fast and I needed to take control again. […] Now several months later my life quality has improved exponentially and had I known it would have been like this would have probably even done it sooner.”
Fans first noticed the change in an MIBR video on January 29, where zews discussed how he plans to work and improve with the now all-Brazilian lineup and was looking noticeably slimmer.
With his new-found physical and mental health, Brazilian fans will hope zews will be able to lead MiBR to victory as they prepare for the challenge of the IEM Katowice Major.
As he explains in the video, zews knows the ceiling of the roster is incredibly high – having been proven in previous years – but the team undoubtedly has a lot of work to do if they are to return to the top.
* This article originally stated that zews’ transformation was solely the result of gym work and dieting. The coach clarified on Reddit that he had had surgery and a gastric sleeve to help lose weight and improve both his physical and mental health.
BLAST Premier Global Final is finally underway! The grand finale of the 2020 BLAST season is going to see the best and most prestigious teams in the world compete for the chance to earn $1 million. Here’s the event schedule, stream and results.
G2 Esports close out the series against the Brazilians 2-1
honda shines on his debut, delivering three aces for his team
Astralis defeats Evil Geniuses 2-1 on the opening game
BLAST Premier Global Final: Stream
As with all other BLAST competitions, the 2020 Global Final will be broadcast live on their official Twitch channel, which we’ve embedded above for your convenience.
The tournament will likely also be live-streamed on BLAST’s YouTube channel, which is also where the VoDs for all the matches will be uploaded, so feel free to check that out if you missed any games throughout the event.
BLAST Premier Global Final: Schedule & results
Wednesday, January 20
Round
Match
PST
EST
CET (EU)
Winners R1
Vitality vs Complexity
4:30 AM
7:30 AM
1:30 PM
Winners R1
Na’Vi vs Team Liquid
7:30 AM
10:30 AM
4:30 PM
Losers R1
Evil Geniuses vs FURIA
10:30 AM
1:30 PM
7:30 PM
Tuesday, January 19
Round
Match
PST
EST
CET (EU)
Winners R1
Astralis 2-1 Evil Geniuses
7:30 AM
10:30 AM
4:30 PM
Winners R1
G2 2-1 FURIA
10:30 AM
1:30 PM
7:30 PM
The opening game saw Astralis take on Evil Geniuses in a three-game series, with an incredibly close first map going the way of EG 14-16. The North American team’s ability to convert pistol rounds was not enough to guarantee a second map, with both Overpass (16-8) and Vertigo (16-6) being taken by the Danes.
FURIA vs G2 Esports was a much closer affair. G2 took the initiative on Inferno (12-16) taking FURIA’s map pick but felt short on their own one with a crushing 14-16 defeat on Mirage. Nuke (10-16) decided the series in favour of G2 following a brilliant offence in the second half.
Eight total teams will be in attendance at this year’s BLAST Global Final, all of them qualifying through a variety of competitions, such as the Spring Finals, Fall Finals and BLAST Premier Circuit.
Lots of eyes will be on Team Liquid, who will be with their new star acquisition, FalleN, after the Brazilian legend joined their ranks to replace Twistzz.
With this competition featuring a total prize pool of $1 million, all 8 teams that have made it this far will be earning a nice chunk of cash, regardless of the outcomes.
That said, however, there will be an extraordinary amount of money awarded to the higher placers, including a massive $400,000 gap between the first and second-place teams.
Addtionally, BLAST announced the champions will receive exlusive TW Steel watches alongside their $600,000.