A recent analysis of the statistics from two professional CS: GO competitions reveals that many women compete on an equal footing with men in the industry. Players’ performances in ESL Challenger Valencia and ESL Impact Valencia were tracked using statistics. Challenger provided the data for the men, whereas Impact was a women’s-only competition. Data collected from ESL Valencia shows that female CS: GO pros perform 93% as well as male gamers. The top female teams featured in Impact include NaVi Javelins, FURIA Esports Female, and Nigma Galaxy Female.
Even with the small sample size, a 7% deficit may surprise many CS: GO fans. However, these statistics show that the best female CS teams can at least compete with their male counterparts. In the schedule of CS:GO matches on the Polish eSports site https://getesports.net/pl/csgo-matches/, sometimes you can find similar events, where men play against women. It’s quite funny, by the way, because male teams are considered to be more skillful than the teams that represent the beautiful half of humanity. But often there are furors, so do not miss the opportunity to watch the outcome of such matches!
NAVI Signs Polish Female CS: GO Roster
With the launch of ESL Impact Season 1, a fresh spotlight was cast on Polish female CS: GO players at the outset of 2022. Natus Vincere (NAVI) opted to recruit a female CS: GO squad named ‘NAVI Javelins’ that featured a complete Polish lineup along with a Ukrainian team manager, who another Polish manager later replaced. Following their impressive performance at the then ESL Impact League Season 1: European Division, the Ukrainian Esports organization signed the former female roster of the Polish team Totalne Gituwy on April 30, 2022, as part of its “Born to Win” initiative.
Since then, this untested roster has dominated several ESL Impact: European Division tournament formats while defeating titans like GODSENT Female, NOFEAR5, and Ambush Esports Fe, to demonstrate that women can be equally attractive and talented.
On January 29, 2022, the Totalne Gituwy team brought together all the current Navi Javelins players. They remained there until April 30, 2022, when the NAVI Javelins acquired the whole roster. The current female CS: GO lineup for NAVI Javelins is as follows:
Victoria “Vicu” Yanitska
Polish-born professional CS: GO player Victoria “Vicu” Yanitska, the current captain of NAVI Javelins, was born on November 12, 2002.
● History:
Vicu joined ThunderFlash Female, her first professional CS: GO squad, in February 2021 and left later that month.
● Achievements:
- Vicu won the Ambush Female Winter Cup 2021: Third Open Qualifier (2021) with ThunderFlash Female.
- She won the ESL Impact League Season 1: Second European Open Qualifier (2022) under the Totalne Gituwy.
- At NAVI Javelins, Vicu competed in several ESL Impact tournaments and went on to win many of them, including the ESL Impact Valencia 2022: European Qualifiers, ESL Impact Cash Cup: Europe – Spring 2022 #5, ESL Impact Cash Cup: Europe – Spring 2022 #6 and the IESF Female World Esports Championship 2022.
Angelica “Angelka” Kozlovskaya
Angelka, a Polish professional CS: GO player who now competes for NAVI Javelins, was born on October 27, 2001.
● History:
Angelka joined Izako Boars Ladies, her first professional CS: GO team, on September 30, 2019, and played there until July 20, 2021, when they severed ties with the organization. On October 20, 2021, she joined the Isekaii team. However, on November 30, 2021, she left.
● Achievements:
- Angelka came in second place with the Izako Boars Ladies in the Female Champions Cup (2021) and the Ambush Female Spring Cup (2021).
- Her other accomplishments at Totalne Gituwy and NAVI Javelins are similar to those of her current teammates.
Chania “Hanka” Pudlis
Chania “Hanka” Pudlis, a Polish professional CS: GO player, who was born on March 26, 2004, now represents NAVI Javelins.
● History:
Hanka joined Team Phoenix on June 24, 2018, her first CS: GO professional team. 2019 started with Hanka joining Team Shakira. Hanka joined Team Baiters in July 2019 after departing from Team Shakira. Then Hanka joined the Izako Boars Ladies squad on July 2, 2020, and played there until the team terminated connections with the organization on July 20, 2021.
● Achievements:
- Along with Angelka, Hanka also finished 2nd in the Female Champions Cup (2021) and the Ambush Female Spring Cup (2021) under the Izako Boars Ladies.
Carolina “Liina” Kaspshik
Polish-born professional CS: GO player Carolina “Liina” Kaspshik, the former IGL of NAVI Javelins, was born on October 19, 1996.
● History:
Liina joined Squad Genesis in 2016, her first CS: GO professional team. Liina joined the Warriors Female squad in July 2019 and remained there until the team’s separation from the organization. Then she joined the Arcane Wave team in February 2021 and parted ways with them in September 2021.
● Achievements:
- Liina finished 2nd in the eLadies Tournament – Poznan 2019 with Female Warriors.
- She also won 2nd place at the GIRLGAMER Challenge Europe: Second Open Qualifier (2021) with Arcane Wave.
Danuta “Danuu” Graykovskaya
Polish professional CS: GO player Danuta “Danuu” Graykovskaya, born May 9, 1996, is currently a member of the NAVI Javelins team.
● History:
Danuta joined Squad Saiprah, her first professional CS: GO team, in July 2019 and left in December 2019. Then she joined Team Arcane Wave in February 2021 and parted ways with them in September 2021.
● Achievements:
- Danuta came in 2nd at the GIRLGAMER Challenge Europe: Second Open Qualifier (2021) and Liina at the Arcane Wave.
All the players’ further accomplishments at Totalne Gituwy and NAVI Javelins are identical.
Wrapping Up
The fact that practically all female professional players can’t compete with their male counterparts is a recurrent topic in discussions about women’s Esports. In most games, women’s teams suffer while playing at the highest levels, yet in CS: GO, they may come extremely close to succeeding. However, recent statistics show that female CS: GO pros perform on par with men.