16-year-old AWPer Katkame joins Vitality Academy

Thiebault ‘Katkame’ Ulysse, 16, joined Vitality’s academy on April 22, 2026. In an interview at IEM Cologne he explained how he took on the AWP role and said his short-term aim is to reach Vitality’s main team.

Vitality published its full academy roster on April 22. Katkame is the youngest AWP specialist on that roster. Public match records show his only listed event so far is Gamers Assembly Festival 2026, where he played with Prodigy, posted a 1.08 rating across the event and helped the team finish fourth.

He traced his start in Counter-Strike to older brothers and briefly considered pursuing Fortnite before focusing on CS. He described becoming an AWPer as the result of regular practice and studying established AWP players rather than a single defining moment.

He named Mathieu ‘ZywOo’ Herbaut and Ilya ‘m0NESY’ Osipov as early influences and noted that watching top AWPers helped him refine positioning and shot selection.

Katkame said the academy provides coaching, structured practice and regular scrims against stronger opponents, which he expects will aid his development. He plans to compete in upcoming qualifiers and regional events to gain more experience at higher levels.

At 16, he is among the younger prospects in European Counter-Strike. His performances in future events will determine whether he earns a place on Vitality’s main roster.