is a Japanese retired

breaststroke Breaststroke is a swimming style in which the swimmer is on their chest and the torso does not rotate. It is the most popular recreational style due to the swimmer's head being out of the water a large portion of the time, and that it can be s ...

swimmer Swimming is an individual or team racing sport that requires the use of one's entire body to move through water. The sport takes place in pools or open water (e.g., in a sea or lake). Competitive swimming is one of the most popular Olympic ...

. He won

gold medal A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture. Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have bee ...

s at the men's 100 m and 200 m

events at the

2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...

, and the

2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...

– becoming the first and only swimmer to sweep the breaststroke events at consecutive Olympic games.

Major achievements

Kitajima, who was born in Tokyo, was the world record holder in the 100 m breaststroke that he set at the

2008 Beijing Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Nat ...

– this mark was broken by

Brenton Rickard Brenton Scott Rickard (born 19 October 1983) is a retired breaststroke swimmer from Australia. He emerged at the international level in 2006, swimming at the Commonwealth games. He has captured multiple Olympic and World Championship medals, as ...

. 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. His most significant rival in the breaststroke was the American swimmer

Brendan Hansen Brendan Joseph Hansen (born August 15, 1981) is an American former competition swimmer who specialized in breaststroke events. Hansen is a six-time Olympic medalist, and is also a former world record-holder in both the 100-meter and 200-meter ...

. They dueled at events such as the 2005 World Championships,

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

. Kitajima regained the 200 m breaststroke

world record A world record is usually the best global and most important performance that is ever recorded and officially verified in a specific skill, sport, or other kind of activity. The book ''Guinness World Records'' and other world records organization ...

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. During the 2004 Summer Olympics 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 intervie
(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. During his gold medal winning 100 m breaststroke race at the 2004 Olympics, he used an illegal dolphin kick on a pull-out, although he was not disqualified, and the rules were changed less than one year later to allow a single dolphin kick after the start and after each turn. Kitajima retired in April 2016 after missing qualification for the

2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics ( pt, Jogos Olímpicos de Verão de 2016), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad ( pt, Jogos da XXXI Olimpíada) and also known as Rio 2016, was an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 20 ...

in Rio de Janeiro. He was attempting to qualify for his fifth Olympics.

Personal bests

In long course swimming pools Kitajima's bests are: * 50 m breaststroke: 27.30 (13 April 2010) * 100 m breaststroke: 58.90 (3 April 2012) * 200 m breaststroke: 2:07.51 (8 June 2008)

References

External links

KITAJIMA, Kosuke
International Who's Who. accessed September 4, 2006. *
Profile London 2012 Official Website

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kitajima, Kosuke 1982 births Japanese male breaststroke swimmers Olympic swimmers of Japan Olympic gold medalists for Japan Olympic silver medalists for Japan Olympic bronze medalists for Japan Swimmers at the 2000 Summer Olympics Swimmers at the 2004 Summer Olympics Swimmers at the 2008 Summer Olympics Swimmers at the 2012 Summer Olympics World record setters in swimming Nippon Sport Science University alumni Olympic bronze medalists in swimming World Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming Sportspeople from Tokyo Medalists at the FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m) Asian Games medalists in swimming Swimmers at the 2002 Asian Games Swimmers at the 2006 Asian Games Swimmers at the 2010 Asian Games Medalists at the 2012 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2008 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2004 Summer Olympics Asian Games gold medalists for Japan Asian Games silver medalists for Japan Olympic gold medalists in swimming Olympic silver medalists in swimming Recipients of the Medal with Purple Ribbon Medalists at the 2002 Asian Games Medalists at the 2006 Asian Games Medalists at the 2010 Asian Games Living people Goodwill Games medalists in swimming Competitors at the 2001 Goodwill Games 20th-century Japanese people 21st-century Japanese people

Major achievements

Personal bests

See also

References

External links