Neeraj Chopra did Neeraj Chopra things at the first ever Neeraj Chopra Classic, winning the first World Athletics gold tier event in India with a throw of 86.18 meters on Saturday at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru.
Kenya's Julius Yego finished second with 84.51 while Sri Lanka's Rumesh Pathirage was third with 84.34. India's Sachin Yadav just missed the podium, finishing fourth with a throw of 82.33.
On a windy evening in Bengaluru, Neeraj had to contend with crowd expectations and scoreboard pressure to finish on top.
His first attempt was a foul after he slipped and fell, which was not the ideal start to the evening he would have wanted. His second was the best of the night at that point, at 82.99 which was a solid turn amid the pressure of performing at home, at a tournament which bears your name, when your first attempt has been a foul.
The 27-year-old is the first Indian to compete in an international event bearing his name as its host. The competition was teeing off after a delay due to border tensions in May. He has been involved with all the organisational details, which meant his preparation was interrupted to a degree.
But on the field, his inner champion emerged with a roar when challenged. Sri Lanka's R umesh Pathirage threw a field-leading 84.34m in the third round. The pressure was back on Neeraj, who was down to second. He responded in style - a winning throw of 86.18.
Throwing last, he walked to his mark, engaged the loud crowd with the Viking clap action, and flung the javelin, his reaction - the roar and the raised arms - telling that this was a great throw. He found it exactly when he needed it too, with no one else crossing this mark in the next three rounds.
After the event, he went on to say that he was not entirely pleased with the number but with wind and weather playing a part, it was a good enough for gold on a night when no one else could cross 85.
You can relive the event in our live blog below: