Teqball's Lee Joon-seok on Miracle Gold: 'I Pinched Myself, It Wasn't a Dream'

"When I woke up today, I pinched myself. It wasn't a dream. I am truly grateful."

Lee Joon-seok, the gold medalist in men's singles teqball at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games who experienced the best day of his life, shared these words with a hoarse voice.

During a press conference for gold medalists held at the Korea House in Nagoya, Japan, on September 21, Lee smiled and said, "I shouted so much yesterday that my voice gave out. A moment that I had only ever imagined has come true for me. It still feels like a dream."

The previous day, Lee defeated Ali Jalil Mezher Alleyawi of Iraq 2-0 in the men's singles teqball final to capture the title.

Teqball is a sport played by hitting a football back and forth across a curved, specialized table and was adopted as an official medal event for the first time at these Games.

As a lesser-known sport, members of the South Korean national team prepared for the tournament under challenging conditions.

National teqball players gave up a great deal to chase their dreams.

Lee, a former football player, transitioned to jokgu before diving into teqball. While making a living as a production line worker at a major corporation, he submitted his resignation and devoted himself entirely to preparing for the Asian Games once teqball was selected as an official event.

Even with a gold medal around his neck, his livelihood remains a concern.

"I won a gold medal, but there are no corporate teams for teqball, so I am not sure how I will make a living moving forward," Lee said. "For now, I plan to compete in international tournaments held every month until the end of this year."

He added, "Tealball national team members share these heavy, realistic concerns. I earnestly hope that corporate teams will be established."


Lee is not the only one on the teqball national team who endured a difficult journey to prepare for this competition.

Lee Tae-bin, who partnered with Lee in the men's doubles, quit his job as a jewelry designer to earn the Taegeuk mark, while Kim Eun-jun, who competed in the mixed doubles, also left a pharmaceutical company's jokgu team once she became a national representative.

The only teqball national team member with a stable affiliation is Eunseo, a student at Korea National Sport University.

Fortunately, some good news has also reached the team.

The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee has decided to support the teqball national team's training at the Jincheon National Training Center following their achievements at this competition.

Up to this point, the teqball team has had to train separately in facilities set up outside the official village.

Attending the press conference, Teqball National Team Head Coach Lee Yong-seop said, "I was thrilled to receive a call regarding this from a Korean Sport & Olympic Committee official this morning. I want to tell the players gathered at the airport [for their return home] that they will finally be able to eat meals at the Jincheon National Training Center."

Meanwhile, Lee Joon-seok also explained why he chose a soft shot instead of a powerful smash during the final moments of the previous day's final.

Regarding the decisive final attack to secure the victory, he said, "It would have looked cooler to finish the match with a smash, but I thought winning the gold medal was essential to promote teqball. The opponent looked nervous, and I think I hit a soft shot with the mindset that I simply had to win."


Also attending the press conference were SEUNGMIN, who won gold in the women's modern pentathlon individual event, alongside Jeon Woong-tae, Seo Chang-wan, and Lee Jong-hyun, who claimed gold in the men's team event.

"I am happy to have achieved better results than at the Hangzhou Games," said SEUNGMIN, who captured South Korea's first gold medal of the competition. "When I return to South Korea, I want to rest deeply at home for a few days."

Reflecting on the moment the gold medal was confirmed, Jeon Woong-tae said, "After the final event finished, there was a delay in confirming the gold medal, and seeing the Chinese athletes crying in joy made my heart sink. When we were told that we won the gold medal, I was overjoyed. It was a happy moment."

At the same time, he conveyed the pain surrounding the team medals.

"According to the sport's regulations, scores from the three best-performing athletes among the four competitors are combined, meaning only three people receive medals," he said. "Some athletes did not win medals in the men's and women's team events, and as the team captain, my heart ached. I am still pondering how to comfort and encourage them."

Seo Chang-wan, who combined forces to win gold at this event, also experienced the heartbreak of placing fourth among South Korean team members at the 2022 Hangzhou Games and missing out on a gold medal alone.

"One person missed out on a medal at this competition as well," he said. "Knowing that feeling, I cannot simply be overjoyed. I became stronger after the Hangzhou Games. I hope everyone overcomes this well."

Seo also explained the circumstances surrounding his collapse from hyperventilation symptoms following the laser run event.

"I reached my limit while running the final fourth lap," he explained. "When shooting, the gun sights were difficult to see.

However, I thought a team gold medal was possible as long as I did my part, so I kept running without giving up, and I am glad it led to a good result."

Smiling, he added, "I received proper treatment at the hospital yesterday, and I am doing fine now."

The modern pentathlon and teqball athletes, who combined for three gold medals on the first day of the medal races, return home today.

The South Korean men's basketball national team, which captured the title by defeating Japan, was unable to attend the press conference due to flight schedules.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.