(Asiad) S. Korean teqball player says quitting day job for Asian Games 'well worth it'

NAGOYA, Japan, Sept. 17 (Yonhap) -- When he found out in February that teqball will be added to the Asian Games in Japan this fall, Lee Jun-suk was ready to fully commit himself to earning a spot in that competition -- even if it meant quitting his day job.

The 27-year-old had been working for LG Electronics Inc. as a contract worker and would have been in line for promotion to permanent status, when he instead chose to leave the company to become a full-time teqball player.

After completing his first half-day of competition at the Asian Games in the central Japanese city of Nagoya on Thursday, Lee said trading a stable job for the national flag on his chest was well worth it.

"As an athlete, my biggest dream was to put on this national team uniform, and when I learned about teqball joining the Asian Games, I didn't really worry about making a living," Lee said. "Even if my career gets put on hold by a few months, I could always start again. But competing at the Asian Games was a chance to realize my dream. I wanted to make it happen no matter what."

Contested on a curved table, teqball is a mix of football, table tennis and sepaktakraw. Players are allowed to hit the ball with any part of their body except the hands and arms. They must return the ball with no more than three touches and they cannot touch the ball with the same body part twice in a row.

The sport has attracted athletes with a football background, and professional footballers have been seen playing teqball during training sessions. Lee himself is a former midfielder who reached as high as the fourth division in South Korea.

Lee said his football experience helps him with his footwork in teqball.

"I don't think I have ever worked harder in my life than when I was preparing for the Asian Games. I wonder how my football career would have turned out if I had worked this much back then," Lee said with a smile. "It would have been great if I had made the national football team. But I paved my own path to get here and I am so honored to represent the country in teqball."

Lee won all five of his preliminary matches early Thursday to qualify for the quarterfinals set for later in the day, with the semifinals scheduled for Saturday and the final for Sunday.

As much as he wants to win a medal for himself, Lee said he also embraces the role of a trailblazer in a sport that still has very few competitive athletes.

"When I was chosen for the national team, I felt a little embarrassed. I thought I was picked only because there was nobody else to go," Lee said. "So it is a humbling experience to be here representing our country. I think people will start noticing teqball more during the Asian Games and I really want to do well for them."

Lee recalled that he and his three teammates -- Kim Eun-jun and Jang Eun-sun in the mixed doubles, and Lee Tae-been in the men's doubles -- did not always have optimal training environments. Up until June this year, they even had to set up a table in a corner of a public park to train. During the monsoon season, they often had to pack up and duck for cover when the sky opened up, and sat around in a nearby cafe to wait for the rain to pass.

"If we can all do well here and make teqball more famous, then the next generation of players should be able to train in a much better environment," he said. "This is such a fun sport, with elements that are very familiar but also some that are a little strange. It may look easy from the outside but once you play, you will see that it is not so simple. And maybe that can get people fired up and motivate them to get better."