Former Valorant pro wins Paralympics Gold in Swimming

For anyone still asking the question; are gamers athletes? Rowan Crothers has a definitive answer for you.

The former Professional Valorant player pressed pause on his gaming career to pursue the 2020 Paralympics in Tokyo. At only 23 years old, the Australian represented his country as part of the official Paralympic Swimming team.

Crothers competed in the Men's 50m freestyle S10 Swimming event, and it's safe to say he had the entirety of the Valorant community backing him in his quest for Gold.

Rowan Crothers wins Gold at Tokyo 2020 games

Suffering from Cerebral Palsy, Crothers hasn't let that keep him from competing at the highest levels of Valorant, and now he's proven that it won't hold him back in athletics either. After a strong showing in the Valorant Pro Oceanic region, Rowan quit gaming entirely to start preparing for the 2020 games, and it paid off massively.

Finishing with a time of 23.21 seconds, Crothers beat out Ukraine’s Maksym Krypak and Phelipe Rodrigues of Brazil to claim the Gold medal. He's an inspiration to both gamers and athletes around the world, and now he can call himself a Gold medalist.

Well done Rowan, and here's to many more successful competitions in both the swimming pool and on the servers. The worldwide gaming community salutes you!

Former Valorant Pro Rowan Crothers, known as @magnetbrain, who took a break from the game to train for Tokyo, has now claimed a Gold Medal in the Paralympics!

Gamers are athletes confirmed. pic.twitter.com/bDALwqXYjS

— Jake Lucky (@JakeSucky) August 25, 2021

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