LEE ‘T-DRAGON’ TZE YUAN, 23, WUSHU

SINGAPORE — It was not love at first sight for Lee Tze Yuan and the sport of wushu. Then only 14, the teenager was more interested in taekwondo, bowling and table tennis.

Now 23, Lee laughs as he recalls his first wushu experience in an interview with TODAY: “I thought wushu was such an exaggerated sport and I used to laugh at people who did it. I found it funny … I asked them what wushu people do, especially with the stupid swords,” he said.

In an ironic twist, the taekwondo black-belter found himself hooked on the sport after signing up for a month-long stint at the Sino Wushu training centre, which left him black-and-blue from practice sessions with the nine-section whip — one of wushu’s traditional weapons.

“I hit myself in the groin, face, thigh, and I realised it’s very difficult. It taught me a big lesson: Don’t count something out until you’ve tried it out yourself,” he added.

First inducted into the national team in 2006, Lee made the switch from changquan to taiji at the age of 18 as his lanky 1.8m, 73kg frame was better suited to it.

Success on the international stage followed soon after, as he finished sixth in the taijijian at the World Wushu Championships in 2009.

At the 2013 World Combat Games in Saint Petersburg, Russia, he claimed bronze in the combined taijijian and taijiquan before linking up with team-mate Yong Yi Xiang to win bronze in the men’s duilian event at the SEA Games in December.

Now Lee will travel to the Incheon Asian Games to compete alongside five other members of the wushu contingent, including 2013 SEA Games duilian gold medallists Valerie Wee and Vera Tan, as well as former world junior champion Yong.

Yong and Wee have been training full-time in Shandong and Fuzhou, respectively, on a two-year contract with the Singapore Wushu Dragon and Lion Dance Federation, and Lee now hopes to join Wee in Fuzhou for six months, leading up to next year’s SEA Games in Singapore.

But first, Lee wants to better his 10th place at the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games, and the National University of Singapore business undergraduate said: “This time, hopefully I can finish in the top six in Korea. All the Asian Tigers from China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Korea, Japan and Hong Kong will be there, so it will not be easy.

“After that I hope to take a semester off from school as I want to focus on the SEA Games.”

The SEA Games could see the emergence of Singapore’s next action star, as Lee hopes to follow in the footsteps of former national wushu champions Picasso Tan and Vincent Ng, who found fame on the local entertainment scene.

He has dabbled in theatre, played drums for the Sheares Hall band and wants to be like China action hero Jet Li, but Lee is keeping his head out of the clouds.

“I like acting and really enjoy it. I’m going to take the practical approach … but if there is a chance (to be the next Jet Li), I will take it up.”

Lee’s a K-pop noob…

Q: How many members are there in Girls’ Generation?

Lee: I don’t know, 22? (Correct answer: 9)

Q: Not really into K-pop are you?

Lee: No, all the K-pop information I get is from my cousin and friends. They are really excited that I’m going to Korea but I won’t recognize any of the stars even if I run into them!

Q: What would you do if someone mistook you for a Korean star?

Lee: Smile and take photos with them?

Q: You are in a karaoke joint, what will you choose: K-pop, Chinese oldies or hip hop?

Lee: This actually happened to me in China. They didn’t have a lot of English songs, so I sang an old Chinese song!

It’s hunky Wednesday as TODAY features kayaker Brandon Ooi and wushu exponent Lee Tze Yuan in our K-pop athlete special for the Asian Games in South Korea. Athletes from 45 countries will compete across 36 sports in Incheon, with Team Singapore looking to reap rewards in swimming, shooting, table tennis, bowling and sailing. Catch our medal hopefuls from the Singapore women’s bowling team tomorrow as they transform themselves into K-pop superstars for a day.