By Clara Ferreira-Marques
LONDON, July 29 (Reuters) – Japanese Olympic champion Kosuke
Kitajima failed in his bid to win a third breaststroke double,
coming fifth in a 100 metres race that broke a world record and
saw U.S. arch-rival Brendan Hansen mark his own comeback by
squeezing onto the podium.
Kitajima, hugely popular in Japan, won the 100-200
breaststroke double at both Athens and Beijing Olympics, after
finishing a close fourth in Sydney in the 100 as a 17-year-old.
But, doubt-ridden and aching in the days leading up to the
London race, he was left behind in Sunday’s final, as South
Africa’s Cameron Van der Burgh, Australia’s Christian Sprenger
and Hansen took gold, silver and bronze respectively.
“It was a really tough race. I needed to break the world
record to win and to be honest I didn’t have it in me,” he said
after the race, through a translator.
“When I was asked if I could swim 58.4 today, it was
impossible… My personal best is 58.9 seconds, so I am
disappointed not to reach the time.”
A time of 58.9 would have put Kitajima on the podium, ahead
of both Sprenger, who swam 58.93, and Hansen, at 59.49.
“I have enjoyed the comeback process until now… I still
have a chance in the 200. It is going to be a high-level race, I
have to think about the 200 more seriously.”
Hugely popular in Japan, with nearly 100,000 twitter
followers tracking his moves, Kitajima fought injury after his
Athens triumph to repeat his double in Beijing, then flirted
with retirement.
Continued…
