As the Philippine national anthem swelled over the rafters of the Filoil Flying V Centre, Sibol Mobile Legends’ coach Brian “Panda” Lim stood alongside his players.
“Today I put my right hand on my heart when the Philippine anthem was on and then it felt [like] something too meaningful to express,” said the soft-spoken mentor to SPIN Life in an interview on Sunday night.
The only Korean on the national team, Lim has never felt prouder to help the Pinoys earn the first gold medal for esports. He, along with co-coach Steve “Dale” Vitug, guided them on the road to yesterday night's tense matchup in the San Juan arena, where the PH squad beat Mobile Legends world champs Indonesia.
For Lim, he was among his peers, in what he calls his second home.
“It is something very hard for me to express. I’m not a Filipino, but I am wearing a Philippine flag. And for me, I always feel like in my heart I am a Filipino,” said Lim, who is also the head coach for ArkAngel’s Mobile Legends team.
After yesterday's historic gold, Lim hopes to further help the country as esports and Mobile Legends continue to rise internationally.
“I really hope that I could further do this for the Philippines and that I can show myself and prove myself. And I hope that the future of esports is really bright,” he added.
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