For professional players, injuries are no longer a strange occurrence. Especially at this time, when players are demanded more than ever in terms of both performance and media presence, the likelihood of injuries only increases. Teams like T1 and individual players such as Faker, Doinb, Ruler, and Chovy… all have to push themselves hard in every match. Therefore, injuries have become a “common” issue. Not to mention, there are also irregular living habits, lack of exercise… or impacts from external factors.
During the LCK Summer 2023, T1 fans had a scare when Faker had to take a break to recover from an injury. The time was long enough for T1 fans and the League of Legends audience in general to feel that T1 would not make it past the group stage. But Faker returned just in time to bring everything back on track. Subsequently, T1 embarked on an exciting journey, culminating in the most beautiful ending: the 2023 World Championship title after defeating all representatives from the LPL. However, recently, more bad news came for T1 fans as Keria admitted to suffering from very serious injuries after the World Championship 2023 concluded.
Specifically, Keria revealed in a recent stream: “Cervical disc herniation? Did I mention that to everyone before? In December, I had to go to the hospital and received six injections in my neck. Actually, it’s not a cervical disc herniation. I don’t know what it is, but I was in so much pain that I had to go to the orthopedic hospital immediately. I returned from Germany and went straight there. […] It felt like they had touched my nerve. The worst condition was after the 2023 World Championship, and I couldn’t go outside during that time. […] The pain started from the bottom and spread to the top of my head. My head hurt so much that I couldn’t perform daily activities, and I went to the hospital. Now that I’ve been exercising, I’m fine.”
Clearly, Keria’s injuries are indeed very severe. His descriptions of the injuries suggest they might affect his motor nerves. This condition prevents Keria from moving normally and comes with significant pain. In fact, if what Keria described is accurate, he could potentially end his career early without timely medical interventions.
The life of an Esports player, especially in League of Legends, is always plagued by persistent injuries. Therefore, Keria’s situation is not uncommon, but it will be very difficult for any changes to occur, especially when T1 and Keria himself are always aiming for the highest titles.