Cordon continued his fairytale run at the Tokyo Games today, beating South Korea’s Heo Kwang-hee 21-13, 21-18 to move one win away from his country’s second-ever Olympic medal.

“I’m still a kid, playing like a kid, having fun, trying to do my best,” said the 34-year-old, who left home at 12 to pursue his Olympic dream.

“Can you believe that I’m in a semifinal right now? This feeling is just amazing.”

Unseeded Heo stunned world No 1 Kento Momota to reach the quarterfinals, but Cordon went straight on the attack and wrapped up the first game in 17 minutes.

He crumpled to the ground in disbelief after hitting the match-winning point, then lay sobbing on the court until the result had sunk in.

“If you compare Guatemala with any country in Europe or Asia, it won’t be the same – this is our reality,” he said.

“But we have one thing in common – we are equal when you play with your heart.”

Guatemala has only ever won one Olympic medal, when Erick Barrondo claimed silver in the 20km race walk at the 2012 London Games.

Cordon said people in the Central American nation are glued to his matches despite being 15 hours behind Tokyo, but his parents have yet to tune in.

“I’m 100% sure that they didn’t watch the match,” he said.

“They are quite old people. They have never seen me play in all my career. It’s not because they don’t love me – they get nervous. When I play, my brother watches and he tells them ‘Kevin won or Kevin lost.'”

Cordon, whose father named him after English football great Kevin Keegan, will play Denmark’s world No 2 Viktor Axelsen or China’s Shi Yuqi in the semifinals.

“It’s very difficult to play with all these top players that you only watch on TV or the internet,” said Cordon.

“When you train with your heart, when you train with patience, all these good things will come into your life.”