Chovy Jeong Ji-hoon finally achieved his long-awaited dream of reaching the League of Legends World Championship grand finals, overcoming past pressures to embrace a joyful mindset.
Gen.G secured a dominant 3-0 victory over Invictus Gaming (IG) in the semifinals of the 2026 LoL World Championship held at the Credit Union of Texas Event Center in Allen, Texas. Widely considered a top title contender every year since his debut, Jeong had repeatedly stumbled at the threshold of the finals, but he finally broke the curse to advance to his first-ever Worlds final.
In a post-match official interview, Jeong expressed his excitement, stating, ‘The emotions I’ve felt throughout Worlds this year have consistently been excitement and joy. It feels great that this feeling is continuing smoothly.’
Reflecting on why he previously struggled to break through the semifinal barrier, he candidly admitted to the heavy psychological burden he used to carry. ‘In previous Worlds appearances, I think I couldn’t truly enjoy the tournament because I was always bogged down by thoughts like ‘I need to live up to expectations’ or ‘I have to overcome this pressure’,’ he recalled.
However, this tournament was completely different. ‘This time, I didn’t worry about those things and just wanted to play an enjoyable game for myself,’ he said with a bright smile. ‘From the moment I entered the arena to the cheers of the fans, everything made me happy. This moment was so wonderful that it seems to have brought out good performance.’
When asked who he would prefer to face in the finals between T1 and Bilibili Gaming (BLG) ahead of their semifinal matchup, Jeong showed a resolute determination. ‘It’s hard to know in advance who will come up, but my personal wish is to face whoever makes it and defeat them myself to win the championship,’ he emphasized.
Concluding the interview, when asked if he had a message for the fans in Texas, Jeong greeted them brightly in English: ‘Thank you, I love Texas!’
Having secured his ticket to the grand finals amid the fervent cheers of Texas, Jeong’s journey now leads straight to the grand stage of the New York finals.
