'knight' claimed his first Worlds championship since debut while simultaneously earning the Finals MVP award.
On November 15 KST, BLG defeated Gen.G Esports 3-1 in the finals of the 2026 LoL World Championship (Worlds), held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, USA, to claim the title. The Finals MVP award went to 'knight', who stood firm as the backbone of the team in every game.
Having stepped onto the professional stage in 2017, 'knight' drew attention early in his debut as a mid laner set to command the LPL. Passing through Suning, TES, and JDG to his current team BLG, he has lifted a staggering eight LPL trophies and showcased a dominant presence by sweeping Regular Season MVP awards.
However, he uniquely fell short when standing on the grand stage of Worlds. In 2020 (TES), when he was considered a strong favorite, he was halted in the semifinals, and in 2023 (JDG), while aiming for the Grand Slam, he hit the wall of the semifinals once again. In 2024, when he reached the finals, he finished as runner-up after losing to T1 in a full series.
Embarking on his sixth attempt, 'knight''s 2026 Worlds journey was also far from smooth. In the final Round 5 of the Swiss Stage, he dramatically survived by defeating Hanwha Life Esports 2-0, and swept Dplus KIA 3-0 in the quarterfinals. His opponent in the semifinals was T1, who had never lost a best-of series against an LPL team in the past 13 years, but he overcame that jinx to reach the finals.
Then, in the long-awaited finals, he faced LCK's ultimate boss, Gen.G. Predictions dominated that it would be a tough series, and after conceding a comeback loss in Game 1, BLG almost gave away the momentum. However, BLG and 'knight' remained unshaken. Instead, they continually demonstrated the strengths of their composition through play, shaking Gen.G to win three consecutive games and seal the championship.
'knight' delivered outstanding performances on Cassiopeia, Viktor, and Twisted Fate in the sets won that day. Over 50 minutes of fierce battle, he relentlessly spewed poison, neutralized opponents with deadly rays and electrical storms, and locked down Gen.G's carries with the Gold Card in his golden left hand to seal the victory.
