Two years on from his heroics, Nikpai is using his fame to spur on a new generation of Afghan children who have joined the taekwondo clubs mushrooming across the country.

“Now everyone in Afghanistan knows me and likes me,” the bubbly 23-year-old from Kabul told Reuters at the athletes village ahead of the taekwondo tournament in Guangzhou.

“There are more than 500 clubs in Afghanistan now for taekwondo.”

The once-shy boy arrived in Beijing having trained on a shoestring budget. That did not stop him from upsetting the odds, and world champion Juan Antonio Ramos of Spain, to snatch a bronze in the 58-kg category and become a national hero in war-torn Afghanistan.

Countrymen and women thronged to the airport to welcome him home while President Hamid Karzai presented him with a new house.

Two years on from that memorable day, Nikpai will hold a captive audience back home as he once again competes in China.

“All of the people will be watching the TV, they are waiting until we go to competition and we are fighting,” he said.

In the southern city of Guangzhou, Nikpai has gone up a weight class and has his eye on the 68-kg category gold. He will face his first test on Friday against Uzbekistan’s Maksim Rafalovich, and will face a raft of formidable South Korean and Chinese foes.

The Afghan national taekwondo squad has been training hard under Korean coach Min Sin-hak and Nikpai remains hungry for success.

“I think I’m a better (fighter) now ... because of our hard training,” Nikpai said. “Insha’Allah (God willing), (we) will get more medals from the Asian Games,” said Nikpai, who names martial arts actor Bruce Lee among his idols.

“I want to be a good sportsman and get more gold medals ... I want to be in 2012 in London,” he added with an infectious laugh. “It’s so important.”