Quimcy Dsouza Discovered Teqball Through Ronaldinho's Video, Today She Is India's Medal Hope At Asian Games 2026

Quimcy D souza with members of the Indian contingent at the Asian Games© Instgram

Today, Quimcy Dsouza is India's first teqball medallist at the 2026 Asian Games. Four years ago, however, had it not been for an injury, Dsouza would not have taken up the sport at all. Back in 2022, while recovering from a ligament injury, the former Maharashtra footballer and state-level 1,500m and 3,000m runner stumbled upon the sport. After falling short of the final in women's singles, Quimcy Dsouza beat Japan's Yuina Sakamoto in the women's singles bronze-medal match on Sunday (September 20) to make history.

When she was recovering from an injury, Quimcy happened to watch Brazilian great Ronaldinho playing teqball on Instagram. She gave it a try and, in her words, "from day one I fell in love with the sport."

There was even something about the sport's identity that felt personal.

"I've not mentioned it to anyone, but teqball's logo, the 'Q', is what I feel is Quimcy, so I feel this sport is for me," she said with a smile.

Moving Cities

She began playing in Mumbai with a small group of enthusiasts before moving to Bengaluru, where she now works as a test engineer at sports equipment giant Decathlon and trains at the Teqball Club of Bangalore.

But Quimcy did not merely move cities to pursue her own ambitions. She wanted the sport to take root in southern India.

She founded and runs the Teqball Club of Bengaluru and has worked with young players, two of whom have gone on to represent India at the Asian Youth Games. A seven-time national champion, she has emerged as one of the pioneers of a sport that remains a niche pursuit in the country.

"It's been four years," she said. "I was an athlete before and post that I was a footballer. I did my distance running, 1,500m and 3,000m, at the state level and played football for Maharashtra."

Her football background, she believes, gives her a small advantage in a sport where hands are forbidden and players rely on their feet, knees, chest and head to control a football on a curved table.

"Slightly an advantage for footballers because you do not use your hands, so you automatically start using your legs," she said.

Funding Problem

But if football gave her the foundation, teqball demanded something else: persistence. That has been in short supply for many aspiring Indian players because financial support has been limited.

"For the last four years, we have not been funded. We work full-time and save that money for tournaments," Quimcy said.

The Asian Games, therefore, have been a different experience.

"For this time, when everything was sponsored by the IOA and the team, it is overwhelming to have everything ready for us."

The significance of reaching this stage is not lost on her.

Four years ago, around the time of the Hangzhou Asian Games, Quimcy had just discovered teqball. Four years later, she was competing at the continental showpiece.

"I've dreamt about this day," she said. "Playing on such a big platform gives immense pleasure not just to me but to all the Indian players who are here and the dreams we are carrying for teqball players back in India."

Teqball has already found a place in the European and African Games and is now part of the Asian Games, reflecting the sport's expansion.

For Quimcy, though, its growth is more than a statistic. She wants India to understand the sport and, more importantly, believe that there is a future in it.

"I played for my teammates here and for my teammates back in India without any coach, guidance or support," she said. "If you are here, it's a big thing. I just want India to know that I gave it my best and want India to know what teqball is."

Her father, a former hockey and football player who is now an athletics and football coach, was also an influence in her sporting upbringing.

But Quimcy has forged her own path, combining a full-time career with elite sport and the painstaking work of developing a new discipline.

With PTI inputs 

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