RUSH retires from Counter-Strike after decorated 13-year career

William “RUSH” Wierzba has announced his retirement from professional Counter-Strike, ending a 13-year career that saw him become one of North America’s most decorated players — and a key figure in the region’s greatest triumph.

RUSH’s journey began in 2012, but his rise accelerated in 2014 with Elevate before breaking into the top tier with OpTic Gaming in 2016.

That stint brought plenty of success, including wins at ELEAGUE Road to Vegas, the Americas Minor – Cologne 2016, Northern Arena Montreal, ECS Season 2 Finals, and most notably ELEAGUE Season 2, where he earned his only MVP medal after defeating Astralis in the grand final.

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In August 2017, RUSH joined Cloud9, ushering in the pinnacle of his career. Over two years, he helped secure titles at DreamHack Open Denver and iBUYPOWER Masters 2017 before cementing his legacy in January 2018 by winning ELEAGUE Major Boston — North America’s first and only Counter-Strike Major victory — in a dramatic final against FaZe Clan.

Subsequent years brought mixed fortunes. A two-year stint with Complexity delivered one more notable trophy at the BLAST Premier Spring 2020 European Finals, but later spells with North American teams, including Evil Geniuses and Nouns, failed to replicate past glories.

In total, RUSH amassed over US$640,000 in prize earnings.

Announcing his retirement at age 31, RUSH said the decision stemmed from a fading passion for competition, despite still loving the game.

He stressed he never wanted to play purely off name value and that mentoring younger players has become his main motivation in recent years.

Looking ahead, RUSH intends to stay in the scene, with ambitions to transition into coaching in Counter-Strike 2 or work as on-event talent.

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