Sylvia Gathoni Wahome (born 5 July 1998), better known online as QueenArrow, is a Kenyan

esports Esports (), short for electronic sports, is a form of competition using video games. Esports often takes the form of organized, multiplayer video game competitions, particularly between professional players, played individually or as teams. ...

player and content creator. She began her competitive career in 2017 and specialises in

fighting game The fighting game video game genre, genre involves combat between multiple characters, often (but not limited to) one-on-one battles. Fighting game combat often features mechanics such as Blocking (martial arts), blocking, grappling, counter- ...

s, primarily in the ''

Tekken is a Japanese media franchise centered on a series of fighting games developed and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment (formerly Namco). The franchise also includes film and print adaptations. The main games in the series follow the events ...

'' series. In 2018, she became the first woman in East Africa to be signed by a professional esports team when she joined American organisation XiT Woundz (now known as XiT Gaming).

Early life

Gathoni began playing video games at the age of three, having been influenced by her older brother and cousin. She enjoyed playing games such as ''

Super Mario (also known as and is a platform game series created by Nintendo starring their mascot, Mario. It is the central series of the greater Mario (franchise), ''Mario'' franchise. At least one ''Super Mario'' game has been released for every ma ...

'', ''

Contra Contra may refer to: Places * Contra, Virginia * Contra Costa Canal, an aqueduct in the U.S. state of California * Contra Costa County, California * Tenero-Contra, a municipality in the district of Locarno in the canton of Ticino in Switzerla ...

'' and '' Tapper'', but later gravitated towards fighting games, in particular ''

Mortal Kombat ''Mortal Kombat'' is an American media franchise centered on a series of fighting game, fighting video games originally developed by Midway Games in 1992. The original ''Mortal Kombat (1992 video game), Mortal Kombat'' arcade game spawned Lis ...

'' and ''

Street Fighter is a Media mix, Japanese media franchise centered on a series of fighting games developed and published by Capcom. Street Fighter 1, The first game in the series was released in 1987, followed by List of Street Fighter video games, six other ma ...

''. She was introduced to ''

'' after her father bought her and her brother a

PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October, in Europe on 24 Novembe ...

console.

Career

In 2017, Gathoni began her competitive career with the '' Mortal Kombat XL'' tournament at the inaugural edition of the East African Gaming Convention, finishing in fourth place. In January 2018, Gathoni began competing in a local ''Tekken'' league known as the Tekken 254 Circuit (now known as the Savanna Circuit), ranking nineteenth and seventeenth overall in Seasons One and Two, respectively. In May 2018, Gathoni was signed by XiT Woundz (now known as XiT Gaming), an esports organisation based in

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

, becoming the first Kenyan and the first woman in East Africa to be signed by a professional esports team. In October 2019, Gathoni earned her first major tournament win at the

Nyeri Nyeri is a town situated in the Central Highlands of Kenya. It is the county headquarters of Nyeri County and was the central administrative headquarters of the country's former Central Province (Kenya), Central Province. The town is situated a ...

leg of the

Safaricom Safaricom PLC is a listed Kenyan mobile network operator headquartered at Safaricom House in Nairobi, Kenya. It is the largest telecommunications provider in Kenya, and one of the most profitable companies in the East and Central Africa region. T ...

Blaze Esports Tour. In January 2020, Gathoni left XiT Woundz to join British team Brutal Democracy. She announced her departure from the team in August the same year. In February 2021, American esports team UYU announced the signing of Gathoni as part of their content team. In October 2021, Gathoni graduated with a

Bachelor of Laws A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...

degree from the

Catholic University of Eastern Africa Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA) is a multi-campus private university in Kenya. It is accredited by the Commission for University Education in Kenya. Location The main campus of the university is located along Bogani East Road, in ...

. In March 2022, Gathoni joined the

Kenya School of Law The Kenya School of Law (KSL) is the only bar school in Kenya. After completing an undergraduate degree in law from a recognized university, students attend the Kenya School of Law to prepare for admission to the Kenyan Bar. History The Kenya ...

for her post-graduate diploma in Law. In June 2022, she was named in the ''Forbes Africa'' 30 Under 30 class of 2022. On 17 October 2022, Gathoni was unveiled as a sponsored

Red Bull Red Bull is a brand of energy drinks created and owned by the Austrian company Red Bull GmbH. With a market share of 43%, it is the most popular energy drink brand as of 2020, and the third most valuable soft drink brand, behind Coca-Cola and ...

athlete, becoming the first Kenyan athlete of any discipline to do so. In March 2023, Gathoni joined South African esports team NIBBLE.

Tournament record

Tekken 254 Circuit / Savanna Circuit

Other

References

External links

* * {{Twitch, TheQueenArrow98, {{PAGENAMEBASE 1998 births Living people Kikuyu people Kenyan esports players Women esports players Fighting game players Tekken players