Kosuke KITAJIMA

Kosuke Kitajima has won back-to-back Olympic titles in both the 100 and 200 m breaststroke. In Beijing, he became the first repeat breaststroke winner in 76 years, succeeding his compatriot Yoshiyuki Tsuruta. Kitajima has had a long rivalry with his American opponent Brendan Hansen, whom he beat at both the 2004 and 2008 Olympics, as well as at the 2003 World Championships (2 times). Hansen in turn beat the Japanese swimmer at the 2005 World Championships, and both took one title in 2007. Since their rise to the top in 2002, the two have also been fighting for the World Record in both breaststroke events, with Kitajima obtaining both in 2008. Kitajima, who in 2003 became the first Japanese World Champion in swimming, made the news prior to the Beijing Olympics when he denied wearing swimsuits from his sponsor, Mizuno, instead favoring the supposedly faster Speedo suits.