Updated on
Summary Kosuke Kitajima on Tuesday secured his fourth appearance in the games.
Japan’s two-time double Olympic champion Kosuke Kitajima on Tuesday secured his fourth appearance in the games, winning his qualifying race at the national swimming championships in Tokyo.The 29-year-old set a new national record of 58.90 seconds, beating his own previous best of 58.91 to win the mens 100-metre breaststroke ahead of Ryo Tateishi in 59.60 and Akihiro Yamaguchi in 1:00.66.Tateishi also qualified for the London Olympics.I have a special feeling this time, said Kitajima, adding that he had qualified with a different feeling than on the three previous occasions.Last year, I was very disappointed with my poor performance in the 100 metres, but I never gave up in the 100 metres this time. Younger swimmers have fired me up.I gained a lot of confidence as I bettered my personal best time, but its not enough to compete against the top swimmers in the world. Ill do my best to improve further, he added.Yuka Kato also set a new national record of 57.77 to win the womens 100-metre butterfly and qualify for the Olympics. I was calm and composed. Im happy about it, said the 25-year-old.Nao Kobayashi narrowly missed the ticket to London, finishing second in 58.61, followed by Tomoyo Fukuda who was third in 58.88.
Featured
