Pune took to Khade over the last three days of CYG like, well, Khade took to water some years ago. The frenzy is hard to explain, and harder to contain, and in his final solo 50 m freestyle event at Balewadi here on Friday, the sheer din in the stadium resulted in the race taking off a little late as the competitors struggled to hear the start signal.

The last time a swimmer generated such hysteria would probably have been at Khazan Singh’s medals at the Asian Games, or Sebastien Xavier’s various nationals. But in Khade, the Indians have struck a rare swimming hero, as his three gold medals, three silvers and two games records would show.

What’s more, Khade even loves the attention. Competing in his first major meet at home after his trip to the Olympics and the few ripples he caused at the world youth meet in Mexico, the 17-year-old has thrived in the adoring spotlight of his home audience. Lesser men would have felt the heat, he chose to braggingly announce the ambition of five medals before the event.

On Friday, Khade first bettered the 50m games mark in the heat, with a 23.16, and then added a gold with a 22.68, the left fist punching the air even before the screen flashed the results.

“Kolhapur to England,” screamed the banners, as Khade’s fans raised the stakes and aimed at 2012, though the boy is still only on the fringes of the world pecking order. The boy with streaked hair and the elvish ears doesn’t stand out really. But when swimmers file out to the starting blocks, he certainly looks the part, equal in height to the Aussies and the English boys — no unwanted flab, no slumped shoulders. The Indian self-doubting, unlike so many previous years, doesn’t nag at the start.

An effortless spoke-like movement of arms and undiminishing speed made him unbeatable here in the 50 m, but Khade needs some work in the 200. “I’ve worked hard on the sprints, so the 200 will need a lot of hard work,” he admits.