TRUJILLO, PERU — It all built up to this.

The hours spent chalking his right hand and neck and throwing the shot put in the desolate pit at Knoch High School. No spectators. No cheers. Just him, the shot and his thoughts.

The hours in the weight room. The attention to diet. The mental preparation to compete on the biggest stages in the world.

It all built up to this for Knoch High School graduate and Cabot native Jordan Geist.

A gold medal at the Pan American Junior Games.

Geist uncorked a throw of 22.02 meters (72 feet, 3 inches) on his third throw of the day with the 6K shot put to best a field of the best under-20 throwers in the world Sunday.

The effort was also a United States record and the fifth best throw in the world, all-time.

His initial throw was 70 feet, which also would have been good enough to win.

“At the beginning of the competition, I told myself to be excited not nervous and that helped a lot with the first throw,” Geist said. “When I threw 72 it was a big relief to get the American record. I knew it could have been beaten, so I didn't celebrate a ton, but I was still excited.”

No one was even close to beating Geist.

Runner-up Kevin Nedrick of Jamaica hit a throw of 20.34 meters (66-8¾).

Geist was a little more than three feet short of the world record held by former Olympian Jacko Gill of New Zealand.

Even hours after his win, Geist was still having trouble believing what he had accomplished.

“It still hasn't hit me yet,” he said. “But it is a huge relief to be able to compete on not only a national level, but also a world level.”

Geist has won just about every event he has entered in both the high school shot put (a 12-pound implement) and the 6K shot (a tad over 13 pounds).

He threw the 6K shot 71-11 during the indoor season — the best throw in the country this winter.

His best throw in the high school shot is 76 feet.

But he had never thrown with “USA” across his chest.

“It is really cool, especially knowing all of the people who have come before me, and it is awesome to know that I have been able to represent my country doing the sport I love,” he said.

With his family there to support him, Geist turned 19 Friday in Peru.

He was able to spend a little time to celebrate.

It was a strange competition Sunday for his mother, Judy Geist, who is accustomed to coaching her son. She did so at Knoch and throughout his career in non-school events.

“Not being there and making sure he had things ready was a litte different,” Judy Geist said. “We have to learn to sit back and let the coaches coach.”

Judy Geist said she could not describe the feeling of seing her son march with the United States team and stand atop the podium after his big win.

“It was very emotional,” she said. “They played the Olympic march and I got goose bumps.

“He finally did it,” she added. “I can't wait until he makes it to the Olympics.”

That's Jordan Geist's ultimate goal. He fell short in his attempt to make the Olympic Trials last month with the 16-pound shot at the USATF Outdoors Nationals.

But his gold medal at the Pan Am Games is a big step in that direction.

“I am so proud of him and all of his hard work and accomplishments so far,” Judy Geist said. “He has so much to look forward to. I can't wait to see it come to fruition.”