Japanese Kitajima wins 100m breaststroke with new world record
11/8/2008 17:21
Japanese Kosuke Kitajima successfully defended his Olympic crown with a
new world record of 58.91 seconds in the men's 100m breaststroke at the Beijing
Olympic Games in Beijing today.
Norwegian Alexander Dale Oen won the silver
in 59.20 seconds, and French Hugues Duboscq took the bronze in 59.37
seconds.
Kitajima's new record is 0.22 seconds faster than the previous one
of 59.13 seconds, held by American rival Brendan Hansen, who finished out of the
top three with 59.57 seconds.
Kitajima punched his fist in the air firmly
when he was introduced to the spectators, some of whom waving Japanese flags and
wearing "National Spirit" and "Victory" strips around their heads.
The
defending champion swam out of the world record in the first 50 meters and
placed third at the turn, but he overpowered others with a strong charge in the
final 50 meters.
"It's perfect," said Kitajima after the race.
Two months
before the Games, wearing Speedo LZR Racer, Kitajima finished in 2 minutes and
07.51 seconds at the Japan Open, shaving almost a second off the previous mark
of the men's 200 breaststroke.
"I had a training period with him two years
ago. He's great," said bronze winner Duboscq. "It's the first time the podium
finish is below the one-minute mark. It's really an acceleration."
American
Hansen lost his only medal chance in individual races after failing to qualify
for the 200m breaststroke at the Olympic trials in July.
Xinhua
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