UPDATE: This article has been updated to include the departures of runneR and Placido.
Emil "runneR" Trajkovski, Harry "Gorilla" Mepham, and Laike "temoc" Lewis have each announced their departures from Team Vitality Team Vitality Europe Rank #8 trexx Nikita Cherednichenko Derke Nikita Sirmitev Kicks Kimmie Laasner Sayf Saif Jibraeel Less Felipe de Loyola Basso . Marceau "Placido" Lambert also departed the team last week after a four-year tenure with the organization. Gorilla added that he is actively seeking new head coaching opportunities.
runneR joined Vitality to play duelist at the beginning of the 2024 season after previously playing with Diamant Esports Diamant Esports Europe Rank #12 , while Gorilla originally joined the French organization in May 2022 as an assistant coach. After failing to qualify to the playoffs of both Kickoff and EMEA Stage 1, Vitality moved head coach Salah "salah" Barakat to the bench and promoted Gorilla to the position in his stead. Shortly after, temoc was brought on to the team as assistant coach and runneR switched to sentinel role, with Saif "Sayf" Jibraeel taking on the duelist mantle.
Following these changes, Vitality came into Stage 2 renewed. The golden hornets not only qualified for playoffs but went on a run to an impressive second-place result, securing a spot at Champions 2024 and the first international qualification in the organization's history.
Vitality ended their year with a 1-2 exit in the group stage in Seoul, ultimately facing elimination at the hands of eventual third-place finishers in LEVIATÁN LEVIATÁN Latin America South Rank #1 Demon1 Max Mazanov tex Ian Botsch kiNgg Francisco Aravena aspas Erick Santos C0M Corbin Lee .
“It's not been easy and I continue to learn that each year is harder than the last but I've met some amazing people and created memories that I'll keep with me for the rest of my life,” Gorilla said of the season in his announcement.
Team Vitality Team Vitality Europe Rank #8 trexx Nikita Cherednichenko Derke Nikita Sirmitev Kicks Kimmie Laasner Sayf Saif Jibraeel Less Felipe de Loyola Basso is currently: