Kenyan esports athlete Sylvia Gathoni makes Forbes Africa 30 under 30 list

Sylvia Gathoni Wahome, a 23-year-old Kenyan esports athlete and content creator known online as QueenArrow, has been named among Forbes Africa’s top 30 under 30 class of 2022.

Celebrating the achievement, she wrote, “This has to be one of the biggest affirmations of my esports career thus far. I am super honoured to be part of the Forbes Africa 30 Under 30 Class of 2022. First Kenyan esports athlete to get this dub. When the Most High ordains something is yours, it shall be yours.”

Sylvia joins Kenyan comedian and social media phenomenon Elsa Majimbo and Dr Joan Ruguru Kimani, Founder and CEO of Exciting Parenting who also made the list.

This is the eighth edition of the list, which includes Africans under the age of 30 who are inventive entrepreneurs, tech geeks, sports stars, and important creatives who are leading a pandemic-hit Africa.

“Collectively, they prove that being on the most-anticipated list on the continent has nothing to do with clout or commerce, but rather, for these young trailblazers, it is about ensuring that they represent not only their countries but the Africa they want to serve,” read a statement by Forbes Africa.

Sylvia started competing in 2017 and specializes in fighting games, particularly the Tekken series. When she joined the American organization XiT Woundz in 2018, she became the first woman in East Africa to be signed by a professional esports team.

Gathoni won her first big tournament in October 2019 at the Nyeri leg of the Safaricom Blaze Esports Tour. Gathoni left XiT Woundz in January 2020 to join the British team Brutal Democracy. In August of that year, she announced her retirement from the team.

Gathoni was signed as a content team member by American esports club UYU in February 2021.

Gathoni holds a Bachelor of Laws from the Catholic University of Eastern Africa.