GoCore Logo

Danil "donk" Kryshkovets, born on January 25, 2007, in Tomsk, Russia, is a professional Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) player who made history in 2024. Winning four individual awards at the HLTV Award Show—the most prestigious in CS2—he cemented his status as the best player in the world. His stellar performance at the Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024, where he shattered multiple records, led his team to their first Major trophy, and solidified his legacy as a generational talent.

Donk 2024 hltv Foto: HLTV.org

donk’s Rise to the Scene

As a Team Spirit Academy player, donk displayed immense potential, but questions loomed about his ability to compete at the highest level. On July 7, 2023, he was promoted to Team Spirit’s main roster. Just five months later, Spirit secured the BetBoom Dacha Dubai 2023 title, with donk earning MVP honors after a stunning reverse sweep against Virtus.pro in the grand final.

In 2024, donk and Team Spirit consistently performed at the highest level. Early in the year, Spirit claimed the historic IEM Katowice 2024 trophy without dropping a single playoff game. Donk’s dominance was undeniable as he led his team past Falcons and FaZe, earning yet another MVP title.

Their success didn’t stop there. Spirit added two more trophies to their cabinet: the BLAST Premier Spring Final 2024 and BetBoom Dacha Belgrade 2024. Heading into the second Major of the year, NAVI and G2 were seen as favorites. However, once the Perfect World Shanghai Major began, it became the "donk show."

At the Shanghai Major, donk broke five records:

Most Aces at a Major Youngest Major Winner Youngest Major MVP Highest-Rated Major MVP Highest-Rated Rifler in a Major Final With these accolades, he claimed his first Major trophy and cemented his status as a superstar.

Dominating the HLTV Awards

On January 11, 2025, the HLTV Award Show brought the CS2 community to Belgrade for its annual gala. **donk swept the event, winning four major awards: **

He won the Player of the Year award ahead of Ilya "⁠m0NESY⁠" Osipov and Mathieu "⁠ZywOo⁠" Herbaut. The Rookie of the Year also went his way in front of Mario "⁠malbsMd⁠" Samayoa and Myroslav "⁠zont1x⁠" Plakhotia. He was also named the Opener of the Year for his entry-fragging ability as well as the Highlight of the Year for his 1v5 ace against HEROIC at the Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024. Amazing year for the 17-year-old Russian.

His achievements pushed the boundaries of professional play. While ZywOo’s tier-one debut was groundbreaking, donk did it at a younger age and with even greater dominance. For years, the "best player" title seemed reserved for AWP players like s1mple and ZywOo. Donk, a rifler, has shifted that narrative, proving that riflers are once again at the forefront of the game.

From the 14th of January, donk and Spirit will compete at the BLAST Bounty 2025 Season 1. If you missed him last year, this is your opportunity to witness his greatness.