Tirth Mehta, also known as ‘gcttirth’, gains the bronze trophy in the Hearthstone event in the Asian Games 2018. This marked a remarkable comeback win after a disheartening loss in the battle for the gold trophy in the semi finals.
For the ones living under a rock, Hearthstone is a collectible card game, one of the six selected esports. Esports were added “on trial” for this year’s Asian Games.
gcttirth had a pretty solid lineup, with high hopes of winning gold. His victory was almost confirmed after a win against Japan’s Tresdred. The semi finals were disheartening, with luck going against gcttirth in terms of draws. Kin0531 from Hong Kong won the match, eliminating gcttirth to the loser’s bracket, where he wins against Tuan from Vietnam and gains the bronze trophy for Hearthstone.
Hong Kong won the Gold trophy, while silver was won by Indonesia, the host country.
“Tirth has made History, he has written his name in Golden words in History of Indian Sports, he is the first ever Indian Esports Athlete to win a medal in Asian Games. Tirth, had also been part of Team India at 8th Esports World Championship-2016. He is a perfect example of a True Champion, his dedication, focus and commitment is unmatched.” said Lokesh Suji (Director, ESFI & VP-Asian Esports Federation).
He further added “Now the gamers will not be just called as “gamers” or “nerds” they will be called as “Athletes”, it changes the perspective of Parents and the society. We are proud that we were able to make India a part of this Historic Moment and now are more prouder to have created another history by winning the first ever esports medal for India.”
A hearty congratulations to Tirth ‘gctirth’ Mehta on his victory from the Indian Noob team, and we sincerely hope that this inspires other budding esports players throughout the country.