Nagoya, Japan, September 20, 2026: Lee Jun-suk produced a masterclass of acrobatic overhead kicks and pinpoint smashes to win gold for Korea in the men’s singles teqball final at the Asian Games on Sunday.
An outsider when the competition began, Lee didn’t lose a single set in the entire tournament and finished on the perfect note with an emphatic 2-0 (12-11 12-5) win in the final against Iraq’s Ali Jalil Mezher Alelayawi.
“I am so happy I could die right now,” Lee said.
“We just prepared for six months. We prepared really hard. I wanted to be a medallist but I didn’t imagine this situation.
“I had seen my opponent training with some of the top-ranked European players, so I knew he had a lot of experience, had prepared well and would be a difficult opponent.
“But I also believed that if I played my own game I could certainly win. Fortunately I did and I’m very happy.”
Lee, 27, has been one of the most inspiring players at the Nagoya City Higashi Sports Centre during the Asian Games because of his infectious enthusiasm.
He made huge sacrifices to pursue his sporting dream, including quitting his paid job, and was reduced to tears as the magnitude of winning gold sank in and he was presented with his medal by the President of the Olympic Council of Asia, His Excellency Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani.
“I am very grateful to my mother. When I first discovered teqball, before the Covid-19 pandemic, there weren’t many teqball tables in South Korea,” he said.
“I was a university student at the time and didn’t have much money, so I asked my mother to help me and she bought me a table. That was what set me on the path to winning this gold medal.”
Alelayawi received his silver medal from Spanish football legend Carles Puyol after his preparations for the Asian Games were made even harder when the facility he trains in at Baghdad burned down while he was overseas and all their curved teqball tables were destroyed.
Being played at the Asian Games for the first time, teqball offers two bronze medals in each competition.
Friday Saw won bronze for Myanmar in men’s singles after he beat Prince Agustin of the Philippines 2-0 almost exactly a year since his second son was born.
“This medal will be a birthday present for him,” Saw said.
Indonesia’s Yoga Ardika Putra also collected bronze after his injured Kuwait opponent Zaid Eidan retired.
“I’m happy to get the medal directly. But I feel bad for the Kuwait team. I know he’s a top player. He’s a legend from Kuwait. So best of luck to him. My target was to get the gold, but the bronze medal is good,” Putra said.
