Quitting Job and Going All-In... I Am a Teqball National Team Member!

[Anchor]

Teqball, making its debut as a sport in this tournament, is moving beyond being just a unique sport to emerging as a promising one. Team captain Lee Joon-seok, who gave up his job to dedicate his life to Teqball, has been on an undefeated streak with dazzling and overwhelming skills.

Reporter Lee Jeong-Chan.

[Reporter]

Teqball, which has become an official sport for the first time in this tournament, is a sport that combines the precision of table tennis, various football skills, and the spectacular attacks seen in Sepak Takraw.

The eldest brother and captain, Lee Joon-seok, stepped up as the national team's first runner and was truly sensational.

In particular, in the final group stage match, he relentlessly pressured the Japanese player who received enthusiastic support from home fans, ultimately completing a 5-match sweep in the group stage with a 2-0 victory and no sets conceded.

[Lee Joon-seok / Teqball National Team Member: I kept trying to maintain confidence with the mindset that 'I must absolutely not lose due to nervousness. These moments will be too full of regrets. I have no way back.']

Lee Joon-seok, who retired without achieving his dream of wearing the Taegeuk mark as a football player, tied his running shoes again in February upon hearing the news that Teqball became an official Asian Games sport.

[Lee Joon-seok / Teqball National Team Member: 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 resigned 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 accommodation, strengthening their resolve.

[Lee Joon-seok / Teqball National Team Member: I think it's fortunate that we can gather like this, and we seem to make concessions to each other and get along.]

He personally sought out famous foreign players he learned about through social media to master techniques.

With his fiery passion leading him to the semifinals, Lee Joon-seok now has just two steps left until the gold medal.

[Lee Joon-seok / Teqball National Team Member: I am competing with the mindset that by making it known to many people, athletes of the next generation after us will be able to do it under better conditions than we did.]

(Video Reported by Park Jin-ho and Choi Jun-sik | Video Edited by Wi Won-yang)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.