Lee Jun-suk felt a great responsibility as a trailblazer for teqball in South Korea but also felt a bit relieved after reaching the men's singles final at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Saturday.
Lee advanced to the final after Zaid Eidan of Kuwait retired with a thigh injury during the second set of their men's teqball semifinal at Nagoya City Higashi Sports Center in northern Nagoya, Japan.
He is guaranteed at least a silver medal and will face Ali Jalil Mezher Alelayawi of Iraq in Sunday's gold-medal match.
"Last night, I was so scared about what would happen to me and my teammates if I failed to win a medal," Lee told reporters in the mixed zone. "I was also afraid that our efforts and the time we had spent preparing for this competition would become useless."
The former football player had a strong sense of responsibility heading into the semifinal, as he was the only South Korean teqball athlete still in medal contention after his three teammates had already been eliminated.
"I didn't tell them this, but I wanted to win a medal and let other people know about this sport and our players," he said. "I thought a medal at this Asian Games would help our teammates extend their careers."
The Korean teqball team was formed about six months ago after the sport was officially added to the Asian Games competition program in February.
The team was not allowed to train at the national training center in Jincheon, central South Korea, due to financial and administrative reasons.
For Lee, a lack of training facilities and financial support did not prove to be a major problem on the road to the Asian Games, as the team's solidarity helped him through the preparation.
"We had just six months to train before the Asian Games, so we focused on learning the techniques of teqball first," he said. "And I asked my teammates and coaches to cheer more loudly and enthusiastically during the semifinal match in order to stay upbeat against a Middle Eastern opponent."
Ahead of Sunday's gold-medal match, Lee said he would try to do what he had done throughout the Asian Games and stay focused.
"I know the Iraqi player well, how he plays and how strong he is," he said. "If I just throw myself into the game with everything I've got, just like I've always done and did today, I think I will have a good chance of winning." (Yonhap)
