"Table Tennis Played with the Feet, Conquering Asia" Lee Jun-seok Stages Stunning Comeback as ROK Contingent Claims Third Gold [Nagoya AG]

[Financial News] A dazzling gold medal that will go down in Republic of Korea sports history emerged from the unfamiliar new sport of teqball, in which players handle a soccer ball on a curved table. National teqball representative Lee Jun-seok completed a nerve-racking comeback to become Asia's inaugural champion, firing the ROK contingent's third golden salute of the Nagoya Games.
Lee Jun-seok defeated Iraq's Ali Jalil Mezher Alelayawi 2-0 in sets (12-11, 12-5) in the men's singles final at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, held at Higashi Sports Center in Nagoya, Japan, on the 20th, winning the gold medal. He became the ROK contingent's third gold medalist, following Seong Seung-min's victory in the women's individual modern pentathlon and the men's team event earlier that day.
Teqball, which made its official Asian Games debut at this competition, combines table tennis and soccer. It demands intense concentration, with the first player to reach 12 points winning each set.

The first set of the final was a drama with no script. Lee had advanced directly to the final after his semifinal opponent withdrew because of an injury the previous day, but he showed extreme tension early in the match and fell behind 0-3 after a string of service errors. He soon regained his composure and began exploiting his opponent's weaknesses with clever ball control. Trailing 5-9, he scored with a surprise series of attacks and shifted the momentum with his signature celebration. He then relentlessly pressured the rattled Iraqi player and completed a 10-9 comeback in an instant. In a nerve-shredding 11-11 deuce battle, Lee struck a powerful winner to take the first set dramatically.

With the momentum on his side, Lee faced little resistance in the second set. He kept the pressure on from the start to take a 3-2 lead, then opened a 6-2 gap by capitalizing on a series of errors from his opponent. Sensing victory, Lee let out a fierce roar on the court and completely seized control. He maintained his focus to the end and closed out the match 12-5.
The Republic of Korea entered three teqball events at these Games—the men's singles, men's doubles and mixed doubles—but Lee Jun-seok was the only Korean player to reach a final. After winning gold with a flawless performance in his lone battle, Lee shed the tears he had been holding back as soon as victory was confirmed and raised the Taegeukgi high, moving everyone with the moment.
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