WHO WAS
KAREL
AŠENBRENER
He was born on 4.12.2003 in Prague and was very active since childhood. He played competitive football for ČAFC in Prague and always had a very fighting spirit. He liked to compete, he was a great snowboarder. As a young boy he started playing computer games with his older brothers, such as Counter Strike, FIFA and others. With his diligence and effort, he worked his way up through the two biggest Czech esport organizations, eSuba and Entropiq, to world-class organizations: first to the German BIG Clan, and then to the French Vitality.
He dreamed of playing computer games for a living and of one day standing on a stage. And he made it happen. Thousands of online Valorant fans around the world knew him as TWISTEN. But not only was he one of the most talented gamers in the world, he was also a man with a big heart. He sent a lot of the money he earned to charity, took an interest in what was going on around him, and donated to children affected by the earthquake in Turkey, for example.
He was also courageous. In early 2023, he openly admitted to struggling with depression, seeing specialists and being in treatment. In this, he showed himself to be a great fighter who was not afraid to speak out about what is rather taboo for many young people. Unfortunately, he lost his battle with depression and decided to end his life on June 7, 2023. That he left an indelible mark on the esports world was evident even after his death.The family received thousands of condolence messages from fans and others around the world expressing their sympathy and writing about what he meant to them.
He is remembered by many as an incredibly positive person who loved to laugh, joke around and always tried to make those around him feel good. Despite battling demons within himself, and ultimately an unhappy love. He was responsible, had a team spirit and never gave up. He inspired a lot of people with his character, not just the gaming community. After his death, many international esports organizations urged others to talk more about mental health. His nickname Twisten left such a big mark on people that his family decided to help young people with mental health issues in his name.
TWISTEN'S STORY
IS REFLECTED IN THE LOGO
"Karel was a bit of a clown, he loved tournaments that took place right on the stage, he loved his fans and he loved the audience. During the breaks he used typical gestures that made him memorable among the gaming community. First, he would send his opponents a heart, which he represented with his fingers, then he used the Korean symbol for love, which is a kind of snapping of the fingers, and the third typical gesture was the cat ears, which he made with his hands,"
recalls Twisten's mother Ivana Ašenbrener.
