[Anchor]
Teqball, making its debut at this tournament, is rising beyond an unusual sport to become a promising medal event. Team captain Lee Jun-seok, who gave up his stable job and staked his life on teqball, is maintaining an undefeated streak with dazzling and overwhelming skills.
Reporter Lee Jeong-Chan has the story.
[Reporter]
Teqball, which has become an official event for the first time at this tournament, is a sport that combines the precision of table tennis, various soccer techniques, and the spectacular attacks seen in sepak takraw.
As the eldest member and captain, Lee Jun-seok stepped up as the national team's first runner, and he was simply unstoppable.
Particularly in the final match of the group stage, he relentlessly pressured the Japanese player who received passionate support from home fans, ultimately completing a 5-0 sweep in the group stage with a 2-0 victory and no sets dropped.
[Lee Jun-seok / Teqball National Team Athlete: I kept trying to stay confident with the mindset that 'I must never lose from being nervous. These moments will be filled with so much regret. I have no way back.']
Lee Jun-seok, who retired without achieving his dream of wearing the Taegeuk mark as a soccer player, tightened his shoelaces again in February after hearing the news that teqball had become an official Asian Games event.
[Lee Jun-seok / Teqball National Team Athlete: I was working as a contract worker at a major corporation, and there was a high-probability opportunity to be converted to a regular employee, but I quit my job and went all-in on this.]
After renting an indoor training facility in Gyeonggi Province, he lived and breathed with his teammates at a nearby lodging facility, strengthening their resolve.
[Lee Jun-seok / Teqball National Team Athlete: I think it is fortunate that we can gather like this, and we seem to accommodate and get along with each other.]
He personally sought out famous foreign players he discovered through social media to learn their techniques.
With his burning passion propelling him to the semifinals, Lee Jun-seok now has just two steps left until the gold medal.
[Lee Jun-seok / Teqball National Team Athlete: I am competing with the mindset that by making the sport known to many people, the next generation of athletes will be able to play under better conditions than we did.]
(Video reporting: Park Jin-ho, Choi Jun-sik | Video editing: Wi Won-yang)
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