Neeraj mania grips Hangzhou

The Games village at any major multi-sport event is where all the athletes, stars and minnows mix together. They all sit on the same tables, go to the same counters, eat the same food.

- Shantanu Srivastava

It is a unique environment where everyone is equal. But even then, the waves seem to part for certain superstars. For Liu Xiang, for Usain Bolt, for Simone Biles... for Neeraj Chopra?

At the Doha Asian Games in 2006, China's Liu was the master of all he surveyed. He was the Olympic champion in the 110m hurdles, the Asian champion, the world record holder and the man who had proved to the world that "Asians can run very fast". People thronged around him, hoping that some of the magic could rub off on them too.

At London in 2012, sprint legend Bolt was a star and everyone else a fan. When he had walked into the Village, he was greeted with whoops and yelps from the hundreds of fellow Olympians who clearly recognised that the Jamaican is first among equals.

He even enlisted three of his Jamaican teammates, including a hulking discus thrower and a shot putter, to help him negotiate the crowd of well-wishers at the Village.

At Rio 2016, Biles won four gold medals and one bronze medal. She wasn't very well known at the start of the Games but in the closing ceremony, she found it difficult to manoeuvre her way through the crowd due to the persistent selfie requests. Everyone wanted a photo with her.

Neeraj hasn't attained the same kind of stardom yet but going by the scenes at the athletes' village in Hangzhou, he is mighty close. He is the reigning Olympic champion. He is the world champion. And there is no one else like him in the village. Qatar's Mutaz Essa Barshim is a reigning Olympic high jump champion but he finished third at the Worlds. Bahrain's Winfred Yavi is the 3000m steeplechase world champion but is yet to compete at the Olympics. Here's a guy at the very top of the pyramid.