(Asiad) Lee Jun-suk becomes inaugural gold medalist in men's teqball

NAGOYA, Japan – Lee Jun-suk etched his name in history on Sunday, clinching the inaugural gold medal in the men's singles teqball competition during the Asian Games. This marked the debut of teqball at the Asian Games, making it a new addition to the prestigious sporting event. The 27-year-old South Korean athlete emerged victorious over Ali Jalil Mezher Alelayawi of Iraq with a score of 2-0, securing his place atop the podium without any defeat throughout the tournament.

Lee demonstrated exceptional skill and dominance, winning all five group matches and both knockout contests en route to the final. This triumph added to South Korea's already impressive haul of three gold medals at the Asian Games. Teqball, a sport conceived in Hungary back in 2014, uniquely merges aspects of football, table tennis, freestyle skills, and sepaktakraw.

Played on a curved table, participants are permitted to strike the ball using any part of their body, except hands and arms. The ball must be returned with a maximum of three touches, and a player cannot use the same body part twice consecutively.