The Belorussian's best toss went 83.05 metres -- three metres more than his nearest competition, Adrian Annus of Hungary.
"I cannot tell you just how happy I am," said Tikhon.
Tikhon credits his coach Sergey Litvinov with his development into a world champion. Tikhon said his "progress has been remarkable" since joining Litvinov -- a former Olympic and world champion -- two years ago.
Annus agreed.
"The pupil has learnt well," he said. "Tihkon, today, was impossible to beat."
Annus took the silver with a final round toss of 80.36m. The throw bumped Koji Murofushi of Japan down into third.
The result is a disappointing one for Murofusi, the pre-event favourite. Coming into the championships, Murofushi had recorded furthest throw of the year and was ranked No.1 in the world.
Murofushi said afterward that, in part, his struggles can be attributed to injury. In the weeks leading up to the worlds, Murofushi fell hard during a practice session. The injuries he sustained limited his ability to throw and his training.
