Sushil’s akhada and Vijender’s Bhiwani Boxing Club had ample representation, but amid these tall, hulking specimens, there were a few who were blinded by the enormity of it all. Kamla Kumari, the mother of the formerly unknown Sushil Kumar, took a few minutes to get used to those pushing microphones into her face. “There are so many people here, it feels very nice to know they’re here for my son. I told him to win a medal. Next Olympics, it will be a gold,” she said, offering a shy smile before the next group of cameras demanded her attention.

The parents of Akhil Kumar, who went down in the bantamweight (54kg) category, sat quietly on a bench right next to the airport exit. Their son was just a door away, but they couldn’t meet him right away. “I just spoke to him on the phone, they aren’t letting him come out because there are so many people. But we are very proud of him. I spoke to him after his quarter-final bout. It happens, I told him. He tried hard,” said Shiv Bhagwan, Akhil’s father.

And it was clear enough that the gathered mass treated the medal-winners and the almost-theres as one, for the bronze duo’s exits didn’t result in a mass exodus. Boxers Akhil, Jitender and Dinesh could be identified just by the different clusters that surrounded each of them, people unwilling to let go without relaying a few personal messages. The chaos only increased with each passing step, but unlike their usual struggles, this path was at least paved with good intentions.