SAXONBURG — His newly earned gold medal hanging around his neck, Jordan Geist was treated like a hometown hero when he arrived back in Butler County Tuesday.

Geist, 19, took gold in the shot put Sunday at the Pan American Junior Games held in Peru.

His throw of 72 feet, 3 inches topped the field of under-20 throwers from North, South and Central American countries. The throw was also a United States record and the fifth best throw in the world, all-time.

Though he had hardly slept in 30 hours while traveling back from South America, Geist was still happy to participate in a parade down the borough's Main Street, organized in his honor.Though some of his family members were in the loop, the parade had not been publicized on social media and it was a surprise to Geist up until the last minute.Escorted by a Saxonburg police vehicle, a Saxonburg fire truck and the Knoch High School Marching Band, Geist sat in the backseat of a convertible, waving to people who lined the sidewalk to take photographs and wave American flags.After the parade he stopped at Saxonburg Coffee Company to greet friends and take pictures with a few admirers.“I was very surprised to say the least,” he said. “It's amazing to see what something like this does for a small town. Everyone has been so great. It's been an honor to live here.”