The 20-year-old support player Miyu “Shakespeare” Otomo has just celebrated her debut in the LJL, making history in League of Legends. She now has a chance to be the first woman to go to Worlds.
What has the player achieved? Miyu “Shakespeare” Otomo played in the opening game of her team FENNEL on Sunday, June 11, 2023, in the Summer Split of the LJL. She is the first woman to participate in the top Japanese league.
The support player comes from FENNEL’s Academy team and has been registered as a substitute for the main team since February 2022. She stepped in for the regular supporter Ian “Corporal” Pearse.
How did the debut go? Shakespeare picked Lulu and Yuumi and finished the series with a score of 3/1/22, while FENNEL emerged victorious with 2:0. This gave the team the lead at the start of the LJL (via esports).
Following her successful debut, the 20-year-old celebrated on Twitter: “I am so happy to have won my first LJL match. […] The path I have chosen so far has caused my mother and father great discomfort. I am very happy to achieve such a result now.” (via Dexerto)
Corporal, whom the player had replaced, also praised Shakespeare. On Twitter, he wrote that she had worked hard and did really well.
What happens next? Shakespeare is not only the first woman in the LJL but currently also the only player at all in a World Championship qualifying region. Thus, she now has the chance to be the first female player ever to go to Worlds.
The prerequisites for this would be that she remains part of the main squad and qualifies with FENNEL. This is no easy feat, but with her successful debut, Shakespeare has at least taken a big first step.
While female LoL professionals are still relatively rare, especially in the top leagues, women have repeatedly made their way into the first league, including the late Maria “Remilia” Creveling in the North American LCS and Jeon “DangMoo” Su-jin in the Korean LCK.
LoL: 24-year-old plays as the first woman in the top German league – Who is Sayna?
