Kosuke Kitajima

is a Japanese retired breaststroke swimmer. He won gold medals at the men's 100 m and 200 m breaststroke events at the 2004 Summer Olympics, and the 2008 Summer Olympics – 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 – this mark was broken by Brenton Rickard. 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. They dueled at events such as the 2005 World Championships, 2004 Summer Olympics 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 2008 Summer Olympics. Kitajima regained the 200 m breaststroke world record 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 interview (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 in Rio de Janeiro. He was attempting to qualify for his fifth Olympics.

Professional roles & legacy

After retiring from competition, Kitajima moved into leadership roles within swimming. In 2020, he became General Manager of the Tokyo Frog Kings, Japan’s first Asian franchise in the International Swimming League (ISL).

Under Kitajima’s management, the Frog Kings debuted in Budapest, finishing second in their opening match with 506.5 points, behind the LA Current (535.5). The team featured a largely domestic roster, with 22 of 31 athletes representing Japan, and several swimmers making their ISL debut.

Notable early performances included Suzuka Hasegawa’s ISL record in the women’s 200 m butterfly (2:03.12). Kitajima described the ISL as an opportunity for Japanese swimmers to gain experience in an international professional team format.

In January 2025, the Kosuke Kitajima Cup was held at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre, serving as a qualifying meet for the World Championships in Japan.

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)