Kosuke Kitajima

A year ago twenty-year Kosuke Kitajima set a new world record for the 100m breaststroke, making him the first world champion from Japan.

Born: September 22, 1982
Country: Japan
Weight: 63.5 kgs
Height: 175 cm
Event: Swimming (100m Breaststroke, 200m Breaststroke)

HT Image

Record:
2000 World Championships: 3rd 200m breaststroke
2002 World Championships: 2nd 100m breaststroke
2003 World Championships - 1st 100m breaststroke (59.78, World Record), 1st 200m breaststroke (2:09.42, World Record), 3rd 4x100m medley relay

A year ago twenty-year old Tokyo native Kosuke Kitajima set a new world record for the 100-metre breaststroke, making him the first world champion from Japan. Kitajima, incidentally, is the only second Asian male swimmer to have a world record to his name after Japan's Nobutaka Taguchi, in the 100m breaststroke, in 1972.

A medal by Kitajima in Athens would break a long drought for Japanese breaststrokers in the Games. Japan's only medallist in an Olympic 100m breaststroke is Nobutaka Taguchi, who won the gold at the 1972 Munich Games.