Getting past Myanmar's Oo Nay Thway Oo wasn't going to be easy and when he did, the relief and the childlike joy his face radiated reflected the truth: victory is so much sweeter when you are asked to work harder for it.
Thway was just the right opponent for the defending champion - calm and composed, his face hardly betraying any emotion even during times of stress.
His third-frame demolition of Advani and the manner in which the Indian came roaring back, contained all the elements of a combat sport.
The result was a close 3-2 (33-100, 100-61, 12-101, 101-4, 100-45) in the 100-up format, the final frame played in a pressure-cooker situation showing up the man of steel. The Bangalorean's victory also gave India its first gold medal at the 16th Asian Games.