G2’s star AWPer m0NESY joined the short list of CS:GO players who have won IEM Katowice and IEM Cologne—the two most prestigious tournaments after the Majors—yesterday, while also becoming the youngest pro to ever do so.
M0NESY helped G2 win IEM Katowice in February, when he was just 17 years old, and IEM Cologne on Aug. 6, at the age of 18. The Russian prodigy beat the record previously set by former Fnatic star Jesper “JW” Wecksell, who had both championships under his belt when he was 20 years old.
It’s highly unlikely that somebody will ever break m0NESY’s record because CS pros usually win the biggest tournaments when they’re older and more experienced. If a younger prodigy manages to do it in CS2, however, m0NESY will still be the youngest to accomplish this feat in CS:GO as CS2 is launching worldwide this summer and all tournaments will switch to it afterward.
Besides, when we say that the list of pros who have won both Katowice and Cologne is short, we really mean it. Other than m0NESY and the rest of the current G2 players—NiKo, huNter-, jks, and HooX—only 15 other players have achieved this:
| Team | Players |
| Fnatic | JW, flusha, olofmeister, KRIMZ, pronax |
| Natus Vincere | s1mple, electroNic, flamie, Boombl4, Perfecto |
| FaZe Clan | karrigan, rain, Twistzz, broky, and ropz Note: Jks also played some matches, including the grand finals, as a stand-in. |
Related: M0NESY’s settings, crosshair, and viewmodel for CS:GO
On top of setting this record, m0NESY nearly was named the MVP of IEM Cologne 2023. He averaged a 1.34 rating across 14 maps played in the tournament, according to HLTV, and was only slightly worse than NiKo in that regard (1.35 rating). The duo was individually sharp throughout G2’s campaign at the $1 million tournament and it’s one of the main reasons the international team won it all.
