For a few minutes on Thursday, the unthinkable happened: Neeraj Chopra was trailing another Indian thrower: Kishore Kumar Jena, India's #2 thrower and now an Asian Games silver medallist.
Kishore's throw of 86.77m in his third attempt gave him the lead in the javelin final, 2.28m ahead of Neeraj at that stage. It lasted exactly one throw, because with his very next attempt Neeraj threw 88.88 and normal service was resumed.
But Kishore's throw, a personal best, gave him silver and also meant he had qualified for the for next year's Olympic Games in Paris. It did one more thing: With the event broadcast live in India, it brought Kishore (27) firmly into the national consciousness.
Kishore seemed to realise the enormity of what had happened; he flashed the widest grin he could and was quickly trapped in a bear hug from Neeraj. It inspired him to up his game, and his fourth throw was even better, at 87.54m. It was the second-best throw by an Indian in athletics history and the sixth-best throw by an Asian ever. Neeraj ran to Kishore, his face beaming with pride, and gave his muscular shoulders a friendly thump.
It's all a long way from his last top-level appearance, the World Championships in Budapest in late August (which was also his first major international event). Kishore had finished a creditable fifth but his effort was perhaps understandably overshadowed by Neeraj winning gold.
Kishore's relatively low profile stems to some extent from his life story. He was more a volleyball player and properly switched to javelin only in 2019, when he was around 22. In 2021, he caught the attention of talent scouts when he threw 76.41 at the Odisha state championships and 74.26m at the National Open Javelin competition.
He was then included in the national camp at the Sports Authority of India centre in Patiala and his career took off. Kishore was 24 then; for context, Neeraj was 23 when he became an Olympic champion.
Training under Samarjeet Singh Malhi, a former Asian Athletics Championship bronze medal winner, Jena put in the hard yards, even putting off visiting his family in Kothasahi village near Puri, Odisha, for three years.
It paid off when he crossed the 80m mark earlier this year. Malhi had worked on Kishore's arm speed and angle of attack. And Kishore's faith in his coach was the defining factor. "He made all the changes I suggested and not once did he back-talk or doubt what I said," Malhi told ESPN. "His performance these days is a result of that. He never doubted it for one minute."
Kishore's family have also put all their faith in Malhi. "He's not just a coach to me, he's family to me. My family also holds him in high regard and my mother keeps telling me 'Listen to what the coach says and don't disobey him' (laughs)," Kishore had told ESPN after the World Championships.
Kishore has not been home in three years now and, speaking to this reporter, admitted that at times he "felt like leaving Patiala and going home to have a plate full of dal and rice at home." Of course there's a greater responsibility he bears. The youngest of seven siblings, Kishore has six sisters. "I have the responsibility to ensure my family is well-taken care of," he had said.
Kishore's father suffered an accident in 2018 and largely has been restricted to the house since. Since the income dried up, the family had to sell parts of their ancestral land to make ends meet. Kishore's biggest goal is to see his family settle down. "I don't have any wants in life right now, I just want my family to be happy and debt-free. If there's any money left after I've settled all the debts, then I'll look at buying myself something. But that's not my priority," he said.
"This [sports] is all I have, there's nothing else I can do and hence I want to give it my absolute best," he would add.
He's been true to his word. A fifth-place finish at the World Championships. Going toe to toe with Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra at the Asian Games. Becoming India's second-best thrower of all time. A massive new personal best. A spot at the 2024 Paris Olympics. An Asian Games silver medal.
And he's only just begun.