ZmjjKK emerges as the Best APAC Player of the Year at the VALO2ASIA Awards 2024, earning the top spot through votes from 24 judging panel members and 200+ fan votes.
CHINA – Zheng “ZmjjKK” Yongkang of EDward Gaming has been crowned Best APAC Player of the Year at the VALO2ASIA Awards 2024, solidifying his place at the top of the competitive VALORANT scene of Asia.
With the backing of 24 esteemed panel judges and an overwhelming wave of fan votes, ZmjjKK emerged as the undisputed winner this year. His remarkable achievements include setting individual records and making history with EDward Gaming as the first Chinese team to win an international VALORANT tournament, accomplishing this milestone just one year after the launch of the VCT CN League and less than two years after the game’s official release in China.
Twenty out of the 24 judging panel members voted the Chinese superstar as the best player in the APAC [Pacific+CN] region, with fan votes from over 200 valid submissions, counted as a consolidated vote worth one, further solidifying ZmjjKK’s position as the Best APAC Player of the Year.
ALSO READ: The VALO2ASIA Awards 2024
The VALO2ASIA Awards 2024 is brought to you by Corsair
The 2024 season began with sky-high expectations for EDward Gaming following consecutive top-six finishes at Tokyo and Los Angeles in 2023. Yet, their journey was not without hurdles. A disappointing performance at VALORANT Masters Shanghai, where the team failed to secure a single win on home soil, was a moment of reckoning for both the roster and their devoted fanbase.
Choosing to maintain their core roster, including CHICHOO, EDG also brought in fresh talent with Hsieh “S1Mon” Meng-hsun, who also impressed this year by earning the #13 spot in the Top 20 APAC Players of 2024.
The team’s perseverance paid off spectacularly at VALORANT Champions Seoul, where EDG stunned the world. The team triumphed over top contenders such as Paper Rex, Sentinels, and LEVIATAN, before defeating Team Heretics in a thrilling grand final.
To close out the season, ZmjjKK etched his name in history, setting the record for the most kills in a single VCT international series (111) during the grand finals against Team Heretics from EMEA. At the forefront of this unforgettable day, his firepower and energy became the soul of EDward Gaming’s triumph, leading them to glory as the 4th VALORANT World Champions.
Here’s what the voting panel members of the 2024 VALO2ASIA Awards had to say about KangKang [ZmjjKK]:
Nico “blackenBlue” Gayoso: “The prince that was promised. We saw Kang Kang’s journey from prodigy to phenom starting with EDG’s international debut a few years back, culminating now in a crowning win at Valorant Champions 2024. You’d be hard-pressed to find many who would’ve predicted EDG to be the continent’s first world champions at the start of the year, and yet, all thanks to Kang-Kang’s performance throughout, that is exactly the world we live in today.
He was already the biggest superstar in the VCT’s most rapidly emerging circuit that is China, and with his absolutely electrifying performance during the past few years, especially at the most recent Champions tournament, he has gained even more fanfare than the likes of few will ever have.”
Mika “Mikafabs” Fabella: “ZmjjKK – He is HIM. He is inevitable.”
Gai “Alan” Yandahan: “ZmjjKK can and will make everyone believe.”
Nguyễn “TLing” Trọng Linh: “ZmjjKK is the key factor that helps EDG win Champions this year. Changing to a less aggressive style, no more OPing especially on the ATK side, that’s a lot of work for a single player to be done in a year. His Neon performance is by far the most effective Neon of this season. ZmjjKK is the proof of the hard work one can do.”
Jiwarin “Aoeyjiwa” Thongklung: “ZmjjKK is a very talented player. From the beginning, he was a star that everyone looked up to with an outstanding sniper. But that was also his problem. In 2023, he proved that in addition to his aggressive playing style and sniper accuracy, he could also lead the team to the highest position, which is the world championship. The person who used to cry because of disappointment But on stage had to comfort Smoggy. It is clear that he has grown well.”
Clinton “Paperthin” Bader: “ZmjjKK showed up when it mattered most, and proved to the world he is a superstar. The guardian 4k he had on Abyss at Champions will go down as one of the all-time great plays in VCT history, and will be talked about for years to come.”
VALO2ASIA is not affiliated with or sponsored by Riot Games, Inc. or VALORANT Esports.
Cover photo courtesy of Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games
