The duo did Maharashtra proud at the recently concluded 53rd National Aquatics Championships at Bangalore -- the only swimmers to claim individual medals for the State.

But the similarity ends there for the two national champions. The relatively quiet Pedder came home with a gold (50 metres butterfly), a silver (50m back stroke) and a bronze medal (50 freestyle). Wadia, who loves to eat and talk, repeated her performance at last year's Trivandrum Nationals.

The 13-year-old Wadia defended her 50m and 100m breastroke titles and finished second in the 200m breastroke, failing to break her own 50m record, set at the State meet in Pune last month.

Success brooked a call up to the Asian Games preparatory camp at Bangalore itself where Wadia is bound on September 16 with the hope of making the team to Bangkok.

``I am very excited aboutthe camp and as far as I see, it doesn't matter what the end result is. I am just going to enjoy the month-and-half camp, with lots of swimming and no school,'' said the SSC student from St Joseph's Convent.

A quirk of fate denied her of what she and her coach for 10 months Dr MP Reddy believe could have brought her a few silver medals atleast.

Illness forced her to stay out of the pool on the second day of the Nationals denying her a chance of making it a golden treble. She lost out after leading till the third lap of the 200m. ``But I just could not continue and Shikha (Tandon) overtook me,'' she said, assured that she is the best in the country in the breaststroke. A confidence that belies her age and that this was only her second Nationals.

PEDDER CAUTIOUS: Pedder, who will set off to Delhi where another camp for Asiad will be held simultaneously -- 10 swimmers will train in Bangalore as opposed to 17 in the Capital -- is more guarded.

The 20-year-old third year student from HR College ofCommerce remains an enigma with his vast potential and reluctance to train or participate regularly in tournaments.

With several medals and honours behind him right from his first sub-junior Nationals in 1988, Pedder required coach Sandeep Divgikar's prodding to go to Bangalore, to defend his 50m butterfly title and improve upon the bronze he won in the 50m freestyle at Trivandrum. But he is more positive vis-a-vis the camp and believes he can do much better.

``I trained for about 10 sessions before going for the Nationals and surprised myself by winning,'' said Pedder, who almost gave up the sport after finishing school. ``I keep coming back for more even if I think of giving up,'' he added.

This resilience perhaps saw him fight back in the 50m freestyle after it was swum thrice. Following two false starts, Pedder who was sixth the second time it was swum, finished third behind Sebastian Xavier and IC Raju.

The powerfully built 6'2'' tall swimmer, who wants to pursue an MBA degree next year, saysthat with more work and with a desire to win, which perhaps is missing now, he could do much better. ``I do believe that with hard training a medal at the Asian Games is a possibility,'' he said.

But while both champions set sights on doing the country proud, they stand alone as torch bearers in a state that not so long ago was the hotbed of swimming.