[Anchor]
Are you familiar with teqball, a sport that made its debut at this Asian Games? A gold medal has been won in this unfamiliar sport, which looks like playing soccer on a table tennis table.
Tonight on Nightline Invitation, we are joined by national team athlete Lee Joon-seok, who has set a milestone as South Korea's first-ever teqball gold medalist.
Q. You won the gold medal in the men's singles teqball event at the Asian Games. How do you feel?
[Lee Joon-seok / Teqball National Team Member & Asian Games Gold Medalist : First of all, it still feels like a dream, almost unbelievable. So many people helped me out during the preparation process, and I really want to express my gratitude to them because I think I was able to achieve this great result thanks to their support.]
Q. How did people around you react after your return?
[Lee Joon-seok / Teqball National Team Member & Asian Games Gold Medalist : Especially my mother, who is usually the tough type and not very good at saying cheesy things, has been bragging about it to people around her. Seeing that, I thought, 'Ah, my mother must be really happy,' so that's the most memorable part for me.]
Q. Teqball has been adopted as an official event this time. What kind of sport is it?
[Lee Joon-seok / Teqball National Team Member & Asian Games Gold Medalist : Teqball was started in Hungary, Europe, in 2012. It is played on a curved table with bent ends, similar to a table tennis table, and there are singles and doubles matches. It is played by passing the ball using any part of the body except the arms and hands, just like soccer.]
Q. You created a turning point for a comeback in the middle of the second set. What led to your split-second decisions and dives?
[Lee Joon-seok / Teqball National Team Member & Asian Games Gold Medalist : I started the first set falling behind. Fortunately, I managed to catch up and win the first set. And in the second set, I sensed that my opponent looked rather nervous, so I thought I just needed to maintain the momentum, but I think a lot of luck also went into my attacks. I tried to focus very intensely on every single point, and as a result, many good scenes came out.]
Q. You didn't back down in terms of spirit either, did you?
[Lee Joon-seok / Teqball National Team Member & Asian Games Gold Medalist : The Iraqi player was a top-ranked athlete, and Iraqi players had trained by inviting Europe's world number one and two players. Also, especially because Middle Eastern players tend to engage in a lot of psychological warfare, I thought, 'I must not back down from the start,' and decided to 'play while shouting out loud' to shake off the tension.]
Q. You had to train outside the national training center. There must have been many difficult moments?
[Lee Joon-seok / Teqball National Team Member & Asian Games Gold Medalist : Actually, even preparing the training court wasn't easy, so until July, I trained out there in the scorching sun. During the monsoon season, I trained while getting drenched in the rain. Still, the Teqball Association supported us as much as possible so we could practice. As I mentioned earlier, there are so many people who secretly helped us from behind the scenes, and thanks to them, I managed to push through step by step. I am so glad that I was able to repay them with good results.]
Q. You even quit your regular job to focus on teqball. Was it that attractive?
[Lee Joon-seok / Teqball National Team Member & Asian Games Gold Medalist : The appeal of teqball was huge, but the reason I gave up a permanent position was because the Asian Games stage itself—ever since I did sports as a child, wearing the Taegeuk mark on your chest and competing is every athlete's dream, so to speak. I thought if I prepared quickly for teqball, I could aim for it, and I wanted so badly to compete on such a big stage. So I thought, I am still young, and even if I fall behind a bit, I can always take on new challenges again. With that mindset, I just went all in.]
Q. Did you try the medalist's signature pose of biting the gold medal?
[Lee Joon-seok / Teqball National Team Member & Asian Games Gold Medalist : After the award ceremony, when reporters asked me to do the biting pose during interviews, I tried biting it like this, and some people asked me what it tasted like. I only bit it slightly so I don't think it had much taste, but anyway I'm so happy. You went through so much hardship taking care of me behind the scenes while I was doing sports, and thanks to my mother's belief, I've been able to reach this happy moment today. I want to tell you that I love you. I will continue to be a more filial son. Thank you, Mother.]
Q. What is your next goal as a teqball athlete?
[Lee Joon-seok / Teqball National Team Member & Asian Games Gold Medalist : There is the World Championships at the end of this year. I think that tournament will be a stage to see if we can truly compete on the global stage, going beyond the wall of Asia. My immediate goal is to prepare well and win a medal at that event. Also, through this Asian Games, we received a tremendous amount of attention from the public. So my goal is to work hard to become an athlete who always does his best on the field so that this attention does not go to waste and can be sustained.]
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