Pan Pacific Championships, Irvine, California, day 4:
Men's 200m Breaststroke
Yet again, for a fleeting moment, the red line and the fingertips of a great athlete had the commentators in a frenzy. The chill pills were swallowed with a reality check (yes, it is true, the suits were really, truly significant and some are suffering more than others, just as some gained more than others) as Kosuke Kitajima fell away from a world-record pace he had not expected to challenge on the way to a dominant 2:08.26 championship record.
The silver went to Brenton Rickard (AUS), in 2:09.97, bronze to Eric Shanteau (USA), in 2:10.13.
Asked how he felt, Kitajima, Olympic champion in 2004 and 2008 and now world raked No 1 again this year, told the crowd in Japanese, translated: "I'm just tired." And then to reinforce it, repeated the words in English. He added: "Franklly i was worried about the 200, but I made a good time for this season and I'm very happy."
Across the pond, Daniel Gyurta will doubtless be taking a look at his opening 100m.
In California with Dave Salo's squad this year, Kitajima is in the midst of an amazing journey as one of the greats of swimming history, one unfolding before our eyes.
From Tokyo, he stood just 1.77m tall and weighed in at 71kg when he stormed to two breaststroke titles in world-record times (59.78, 100m; 2:09.42, 200m) at the World Championships in Barcelona in 2003. Kitajima’s style provoked protest from the USA at the time: he was using a butterfly action underwater out of turns they said. The rule was subsequently changed to allow that.
After one of his victories in Athens 2004, Kitajima let out a primordial poolside scream: “Cho-kimochi-ii,” (meaning "I feel mega-good") went on to win the 2004 U-Can Neoligisms and Vogue Words contest.
Kitajima began swimming at three when his father had a particular kind of punishment for a naughty boy: he would throw his son in the pool. It put the fight in a boy who would become world and Olympic champion. Japanese headlines from Athens in 2004 proclaimed "King Kitajima" and "Demolition Man". His coach Norimasa. Hirai said simply: "Athens has been the perfect realisation of his talent “ but watch out Beijing (2008)." He was right. Both titles were defended in style after Kitajima had forced his federation to rip up suit contracts to allow him to compete in a LZR.
Eight years on from his first world record and pioneer blast inside 2:10 as the man who got past Mike Barrowman's 1992 2:10.16 stunner, Kitajima is still causing a riot.
Trans-Atlantic splits:
- Kitajima: 28.87; 1:01.53; 1:34.61; 2:08.36
- Gyurta: 29.55; 1:02.57; 1:35.58; 2:08.95
Trans-Atlantic medals:
- Pan Pacs: 2:08.26; 2:09.97; 2:10.13
- Euro 1-3: 2:08.95; 2:09.68; 2:11.03
Records
Shiny suit era
- WR: 2:07.31 Christian Sprenger (AUS) Jul 2009
- ER: 2:07.64 Daniel Gyurta (HUN) Jul 2009
February 1 2008
- WR: 2:08.50 Brendan Hansen (USA) Aug 2006
- ER: 2:09.52 Dimitri Komornikov (RUS) Jun 2003
