Kosuke Kitajima
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Kosuke Kitajima (北島 康介 Kitajima Kōsuke, born September 22, 1982 in Tokyo) is a Japanese retired multiple Olympic gold medalist breaststroke swimmer. He won gold medals for the men's 100 m and 200 m breaststroke at both the Athens 2004, and the Beijing 2008[2] Summer Olympic games.
Major achievements
Kitajima is a decorated swimmer in the world championships and was the world record holder in the 100 m breaststroke that he set at the 2008 Beijing Olympics – this mark was broken by Brenton Rickard. He was also bronze medal winner in the same Olympics in the 4×100 m medley relay. He edged out his main rival Brendan Hansen who finished fourth while Kitajima won the gold medal and set the new world record.
He received four gold medals, one silver and two bronze medals in total at the 2004, 2008 and 2012 Olympics.[3]
His most significant rival in the breaststroke was the American swimmer Brendan Hansen. They dueled at events such as the 2005 World Championships, 2004 Summer Olympics and 2003 World Championships. Kitajima set both world records for 100 m and 200 m breaststroke in the latter occasion. Later his best in 200 m was overcome by Dimitri Komornikov and then by Hansen, who also broke Kitajima's record in the 100 m. Kitajima regained the world record (58.91) in the 100 m at the 2008 Summer Olympics. Kitajima regained the 200 m breaststroke world record in June 2008 at the Japan Open. His time of 2:07.51 shaved nearly a second off the previous record of 2:08.50 set by Hansen in 2006.[4]
During the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Kitajima generated buzz for his primal screams of exuberance after edging out Hansen in the 100 m and 200 m breaststroke for the gold. At a pool side interview (3'24") following his victory in the 100 m, Kosuke Kitajima also popularised the phrase 'cho-kimochi-ii,' meaning "I feel really good." The word went on to win the 2004 U-Can Neologisms and Vogue Words contest.[5]
Kitajima retired in April 2016 after missing qualification for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. He was attempting to qualify for his fifth Olympics[6]
Personal bests
In long course swimming pools Kitajima's bests are:
- 50 m breaststroke: 27.78 (27 July 2005)
- 100 m breaststroke: 58.90 (3 April 2012)
- 200 m breaststroke: 2:07.51 (8 June 2008)
See also
- World record progression 100 metres breaststroke
- World record progression 200 metres breaststroke
- List of multiple Olympic gold medalists
References
- ↑ "Japanese Medalists in London 2012 Olympics". joc.or.jp. Japanese Olympic Committee. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
- ↑ Clarey, Christopher (August 13, 2008). "Kitajima Completes Breaststroke Double, Again". The New York Times.
- ↑ Odeven, Ed, "Kitajima eyes three-peat", Japan Times, 3 June 2012, p. 16
- ↑ "Kitajima supplants American Hansen's world breaststroke mark". Retrieved 2008-06-10.
- ↑ "2004 Annual Grand Prix". Archived from the original on 2007-03-15. Retrieved 2007-07-24.
- ↑ Lord, Craig (April 8, 2016). "Bye, Says King Frog Kosuke Kitajima, Four Games, Four Golds, Pantheon-Bound". Swimvortex. Retrieved April 8, 2016.
External links
- KITAJIMA, Kosuke International Who's Who. accessed September 4, 2006.
- Official website (Japanese)
- Profile London 2012 Official Website
| Records | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Mike Barrowman |
Men's 200 metre breaststroke world record holder (long course) October 2, 2002 – June 15, 2003 |
Succeeded by Dimitri Komornikov |
| Preceded by Dimitri Komornikov |
Men's 200 metre breaststroke world record holder (long course) July 24, 2003 – July 11, 2004 |
Succeeded by Brendan Hansen |
| Preceded by Brendan Hansen |
Men's 200 metre breaststroke world record holder (long course) June 8, 2008 – July 30, 2009 |
Succeeded by Christian Sprenger |
| Preceded by Brendan Hansen |
Men's 100 metre breaststroke world record holder (long course) August 11, 2008 – July 27, 2009 |
Succeeded by Brenton Rickard |
| Awards | ||
| Preceded by Ian Thorpe |
Pacific Rim Swimmer of the Year 2003 |
Succeeded by Ian Thorpe |
| Preceded by Park Tae-Hwan |
Pacific Rim Swimmer of the Year 2007–2008 |
Succeeded by Zhang Lin |
| Preceded by Zhang Lin |
Pacific Rim Swimmer of the Year 2010 |
Succeeded by Sun Yang |
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