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With another victory against JDCR in the losers bracket, Qudans had one more shot at Saint in the grand finals. He exerted his will two matches in a row, resetting the bracket with one win and then taking the overall title by a score of 3-1. Qudans was even-keeled throughout nearly the entire tournament, but his relief was palpable when he finally won.

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During our conversation, he credited the audience as a major factor in his championship run. “I knew I could beat JDCR, but when I met Saint, I asked myself, ‘Can I do this?’ As the tournament continued, I felt the crowd cheering for me and I became surprisingly calm. I felt at one with the crowd and my question of ‘Can I do this?’ changed into ‘I can do this.’ I am thankful for everyone who cheered for me.”

Qudans, a third of his life ago, once stood on top of the Tekken world as a former Evo champion. Anyone’s path to success in competitive gaming can be rough, but Qudans’s was particularly long. His face, as he hoisted his trophy into the air, told the whole story.

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“I thought about my path and felt that this victory was a grand prize for enduring the pressure, stress, and defeat,” he said, summing up his journey thus far. “I couldn’t hold back my tears at that point.”

Ian Walker loves fighting games and writing about them. You can find him on Twitter at @iantothemax.