State boy sets sail for Beijing

MUMBAI: A nation drowning in grief over non-performers may take heart from a startling new discovery: Virdhawal Khade from Kolhapur confirmed on Monday that he is the fastest 15-year-old in the world as he registered a time of 1:52.41 in his 200m freestyle heat at the World Swimming Championships in Melbourne, Australia.

Winning the heat made Virdhawal the first Indian swimmer to qualify for the Beijing Olympics as well as probably the first Indian ever to win a heat at this level.

Virdhawal has already attracted attention within the narrow ambit of supporters of Olympic sports as the Mittal Champions Trust is looking to take him on.

As a footnote, Virdhawal also broke his Indian record – set at the 33rd National Games in Guwahati – by 1.77 seconds.

Though he finished 49th overall out of a total of 117 swimmers, the teenager has already got those in the know interested. Former US Olympic coach Richard Quick terms him “phenomenal for his age and definitely an Olympic winning prospect in the future”.

Even if the MCT takes him on, Virdhawal will need corporate support to manage all the training expenses abroad if he is to tap his potential. Perhaps now that the Men in Blue have sunk, he has some hope.