Li Duan, a blind torchbearer in the Yanji leg of the ongoing Olympic torch relay who took two golds for China at the Athens Paralympics, is eyeing the repeat of his glory on home soil.

"I have two wishes. One is winning at least a gold medal at the Beijing Paralympic Games, and the other is that people will pay more attention to the Paralympics and cheer more for the disabled athletes," Li told Xinhua in Yanji on Wednesday.

The 1.93-meter-tall Li was crowned in F11 Long Jump and Triple Jump at the Athens Paralympic Games.

Born in China's northeastern city of Changchun, Li was expected to be a basketball star. He started basketball training at the age of five and was selected to the Shenyang military basketball team when he was 13. As one of the elite point guards in China, Li joined the national youth team twice and was once crowned at a slam dunk national contest.

At the age of 18, an accidental explosion of a fire extinguisher made Li blind. But he did not give up. He started to practise long jump.

After getting a silver medal and a bronze medal at the Sydney Paralympic Games, Li won two golds in Athens.

"My dream is that my son with a nickname Dream can play basketball when he grows up," said Li.

(Xinhua News Agency July 17, 2008)