After surviving the elimination round, Gaimin Gladiators fell as OG got one step closer to Dota 2 greatness at TI11.
Despite an impressive group stage, GG couldn’t find footing in the playoffs. The loss hasn’t taken away from the team’s joy at doing so well in their first appearance at The International. And now, while the team celebrates its achievements over the 2022 season, captain Melchior “Seleri” Hillenkamp has announced that he will be donating all of his TI winnings to an Animal Sanctuary.
While Seleri didn’t reveal specifics, his announcement made it sound like the Animal Sanctuary could be a personal passion project for the support player.
GG placed ninth at TI11, securing over $340,000 as a team, given the tournament’s current prize pool. It’s currently unclear how much of this sum is headed Seleri’s way, but it’s likely enough to get such a project up and running.
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Seleri also thanked his teammates for their performance while highlighting how he spent more time with the GG squad than his family this year as they rose to prominence in Dota’s most competitive region.
“Thanks to my teammates for this tournament. I have spent more time with them this year than with my ‘real’ family,” Seleri said. “I consider every one of them one of my best friends and I hope this is not the end for us!”
Given how long a DPC season can be, the best teams also become great friends. This is a natural byproduct of spending so much time and trying to improve together while sharing an end goal—in this case, the goal s lifting the Aegis of Champions.
GG didn’t quite make it to the level of contending for the Aegis this season, exiting TI11 prior to the top eight. However, for a team that started the year without a sponsor in what is arguably Dota’s deepest region in terms of talent, expectations for a potential title run in 2023 aren’t off the table.
