NAVI b1t makes history as CS:GO’s youngest-ever millionaire
João Ferreira/DexertoNAVI’s Valeriy ‘b1t’ Vakhovskiy has become the youngest-ever CS:GO player to surpass $1 million in career earnings.
The 19-year-old took his career earnings past the $1 million mark earlier this month after NAVI reached the quarter-finals of the IEM Rio Major, according to Esports Earnings.
b1t is the youngest-ever player to achieve this feat, joining 20 other players, including teammates Oleksandr ‘s1mple’ Kostyliev, Denis ‘electronic’ Sharipov, Ilya ‘Perfecto’ Zalutskiy, in CS:GO’s millionaires’ club.
The most impressive aspect is that b1t reached this milestone in less than two years of pro play. A graduate of NAVI’s renowned academy system, he was promoted to the main team at the end of 2020, splitting playing time with Egor ’flamie’ Vasilyev before locking down a starting spot in April 2021.
The decision proved a success as b1t helped NAVI to win a series of titles that year, including their first-ever Major crown at PGL Major Stockholm. NAVI also won the third edition of the Intel Grand Slam, pocketing $1 million.
Success has been hard to come by in 2022 following the departure of Kirill ‘Boombl4′ Mikhailov (who himself is a member of CS:GO’s millionaires’ club).
NAVI, who have won only one title all year long, hope to strike gold again with Andrii ‘nipl’ Kukharskyi, who is trying out for the main team. The 17-year-old will make his debut for NAVI next month, at the BLAST Premier World Final.