Japan's Kitajima sweeps Olympic breaststroke titles at Beijing Games
14/8/2008 17:45
Japanese swimmer Kosuke Kitajima completed his breaststroke win by
retaining his 200-meter breaststroke title at the Beijing Olympic Games in
Beijing today.
Kitajima, the Athens Olympic champion and world record holder,
touched the wall first in two minutes and 7.64 seconds. Australian Brenton
Rickard got the silver in 2:08.88 and French Hugues Duboscq finished third in
2:08.94.
The 25-year-old swimmer, who has also kept his Olympic title in 100m
breaststroke, is the first swimmer to win four breaststroke gold medals at the
Olympics.
The Japanese, the overwhelming favorite for the event, secured
himself a center lane by topping yesterday's heats and led throughout in the
four-lap event. He swam under the world record pace in the second and third
legs, and finished about 0.13 seconds shy of his own world record, set in June
at 2:07.51.
"I felt good while I was having the race but my race was the
first one of the day. If this event was held later on I had the chance set to a
better time," Kitajima said.
"For the last 50m I was slower than I thought,
but all in all I think I had a good race. I thought I could set 2:06, but I
guess I was being greedy before the race."
"I was so calm that I think I
could have seen each face in this venue. I enjoyed my race," he said.
With
the four Olympic breaststroke gold medals, the Japanese swimmer has announced
his absolute dominance in the stroke. He bettered rival American Brendan
Hansen's 100m world record by 0.22 seconds at 58.91 seconds.
Asked how he
would feel if the phenomenal American Michael Phelps takes up breaststroke, he
showed a subtle smile. "I'm glad that Phelps's not a breaststroke specialist, to
give it to you frankly," he said.
"He's a fabulous swimmer with great
technique... but he's not suited to breaststroke. I think he's more of a
freestyle guy," he added.
The Tokyo native is a star athlete in his country.
When he won two golds in Athens, his celebration remarks of "bon moods" was
instantly picked up and spread by his fans.
After Kitajima's victory in the
100m breaststroke on Monday, people in his hometown in Arakawa Ward, Tokyo,
rushed to his father's butcher's shop to celebrate the win.
Eric Shanteau, an
American swimmer diagnosed with testicular cancer, placed tenth in yesterday's
heats and failed to qualify for the final of the event.
Xinhua
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