BUSAN, SOUTH KOREA, Oct. 2. A decade ago, when America's Mike Barrowman was stroking to an Olympic gold and the world-record in the 200 meter
breaststroke at Barcelona, Japan's Kosuke Kitajima was a mere 10-year-old just embarking on his swimming career.
What a difference a decade, two months and four days makes.
This evening at the Sajik Swimming Pool on Day 3 of the 14th Asian Games, Kitajima, now all grown up as a 20-year-old, became his the Rising Sun nation's first world record-setter in nearly three decades as he wiped Barrowman's name from the record book with a blazing 2:09.97 victory.
The U.S. star's old record — the oldest men's record in the books — from the Games of the XXV Olympiad was 2:10.16.
And American coach Jack Simon called it in spades Monday after seeing Kitajima win the 100 breast in a Games-record 1:00.45 when he said Kitajima looked ready to take down the 200 world record.
And how.
Swimming virtually alone — teammate Daisuke Kimura was runner-up in 2:13.60 — Kitajima led wall-to-wall for the win and the record.
The Japanese swimmer split a blazing 1:02.61 at the halfway mark to Barrowman's 1:03.91, then held on for the record. His second 100 was 1:07.36 to Barrowman's 1:06.25.
Here are the comparative splits:
Kitajima 29.72 1:02.61 1:36.05 2:09.97
Barrowman 30.43 1:03.91 1:37.12 2:10.16
By 50s:
Kitajima 29.72 32.89 33.44 33.92
Barrowman 30.43 33.48 33.91 33.04
Born Sept. 22, 1982 and a native of Tokyo, Kitajima's progress the last couple of years has been quite impressive. Last year he ranked fourth globally with his then pr-NR and Asian Record of 2:11.21 from the World Championships in Fukuoka.
In rhe Olympic year of 2000 he went a 2:13.41 at the Olympic Trials and wound up ranked 13th globally — not bad for a 15-year-old. The year before his pr was 2:16.37 and that ranked him 31st globally.
In the 100 breast his pr is 1:00.34, also the Asian record. That swim won him the gold at this year's Pan Pacs in Yokohama five weeks ago and ranks him
second globally behind Ukraine's Oleg Lisogor's Euro Championship-winning 1:00.29. Kitajima won the 100 breast Monday with a Games record 1:00.45.
He and America's Ed Moses are the only two swimmers to rank among the top seven (performances) and top four (performers) on the all-time world list in both the 100-200 breast races.
Going into tonight's race Kitajima was ranked No. 1 globally off his 2:10.64 gold medal performance at the Japanese nationals, and he put paid to that record in a hurry.
"I honestly didn't know I was going that fast," Kitajima said after the race. "It was only when I hit the wall and looked up that I realized it was a world record."
"Now I have set a world record the goal will be to take more off the record at the world championships (in Barcelona) next year. I can definitely swim faster. Hopefully I can leave my name in the record books in Barcelona too," he said.
Japan scored another men's win tonight when distance freestyler Shunichi Fujita won the 400 in a Games record 3:50.41. He set the Asian standard at 3:50.36 in prelims at the World Championships in Fukuoka last year. China's Yu Cheng (pr 3:54.57) and Korea's Kyo Chul Han (3:56.10) rounded out the Top 3.
* * * * *
On the women's side, China scored a trio of victories as sprinter Xu Yanwei won the 100 free in 54.92, flyer Zhou Yafei won the 100 in a pr 58.88 and backstroker Zhan Shu won the 100 in a pr 1:01.82 — 11th-fastest globally for the year.
Xu, who has a pr of 25.02 for the 50 from last year's National Games in Guangzhou, has a 100 pr of 54.40 — also from that meet — and went a pr 1:58.77 200 free at the Pan Pac Trials in April.
Zhou's 100 fly time dropped her pr from a 1:00.05 done at April's Pan Pac Trials in Ashan. Japan's Yuko Nakanishi, who did a pr 59.77 at the Pan Pacs, could only manage a 1:00.18 here for the silver.
In an upset, China beat Japan in the men's 4 x 100m free relay.
At the halfway point in the swimming competition, china leads japan in the gold medal count, 10-6.
In other aquatic events, Japan's world champion Miya Tachibana and Miho Takeda easily won the synchro duet with 99.000 points. It was Tachibana's second gold of the Games.
In water polo, Kazakhstan thumped Iran 12-4, while China beat Korea 9-5.
— Bill Bell and Phil Whitten
14th Asian Games
Busan, South Korea
September 29 – October 14, 2002
SWIMMING RESULTS
DAY THREE: October 2, 2002
Women's 100m Freestyle
Heats Rank Lane Name Country Record
A 1 4 XU Yanwei People's Rep. of China
54.92
2 3 YANG Yu People's Rep. of China
55.51
2 5 NAGAI Tomoko Japan
55.51
4 6 SUN So Eun Korea
56.21
5 2 RYU Yoon Ji Korea
56.30
6 7 URABE Norie Japan
57.00
7 1 Myanmar
58.01
8 8 TANDON Shikha India
58.49
B 1 5 TANTINITI Piyaporn Thailand
59.70
2 6 PANG Shuk Mui Hong Kong, China
1:00.05
3 4 NG Chi Kwon Jennifer Hong Kong, China
1:00.13
4 3 ONG Heidi Gem Philippines
1:00.25
5 2 LAM Wai Man Macau
1:00.52
6 8 KHAN Kiran Pakistan
1:09.76
1 DELGERMAA Myagmarsuren Mongolia
7 LIM Kim Tor Jacqueline Singapore
Women's 100m Butterfly
Heats Rank Lane Name Country Record
F 1 5 ZHOU Ya Fei People's Rep. of China
58.88
2 4 NAKANISHI Yuko Japan
1:00.18
3 2 YEO Wei Ling Joscelin Singapore
1:01.06
4 3 ZHENG Xi People's Rep. of China
1:01.12
5 6 MITA Maki Japan
1:01.46
6 7 BOUVRON Christel Singapore
1:03.08
7 8 CHAN Wing Suet Hong Kong, China
1:03.34
8 1 KONG Yan Kay Flora Hong Kong, China
1:03.42
Women's 100m Backstroke Final
Heats Rank Lane Name Country Record
F 1 6 ZHAN Shu People's Rep. of China
1:01.82
2 4 INADA Noriko Japan
1:02.16
3 3 TERAKAWA Aya Japan
1:02.35
4 5 SHIM Min Ji Korea
1:02.83
5 2 CHEN Xiujun People's Rep. of China
1:02.90
6 7 TSAI Hiu Wai Sherry Hong Kong, China
1:03.96
7 8 VORATHAMRONG Chonlathorn Thailand
1:04.74
8 1 BANG Eun Ji Korea
1:04.84
Men's 200m Breaststroke Final
Heats Rank Lane Name Country Record
F 1 4 KITAJIMA Kosuke Japan
2:09.97 WORLD RECORD
2 5 KIMURA Daisuke Japan
2:13.60
3 3 SIRISANONT Ratapong Thailand
2:15.81
4 2 CHENG Hao People's Rep. of China
2:16.65
5 6 WANG Hai Bo People's Rep. of China
2:18.06
6 1 TAM Chi Kin Hong Kong, China
2:23.52
7 7 RYZHKOV Yevgeniy Kazakhstan
2:25.75
8 8 CHUA Raphael Philippines
2:26.90
Men's 400m Freestyle Final
Heats Rank Lane Name Country Record
F 1 4 FUJITA Shunichi Japan
3:50.41 Asian Record
2 6 YU Cheng People's Rep. of China
3:54.57
3 3 HAN Kyu Chul Korea
3:56.10
4 5 CHO Sung Mo Korea
3:57.87
5 2 MENDOZA Miguel Philippines
4:01.11
6 7 ZHENG Shibin People's Rep. of China
4:02.09
7 1 MATSUDA Takeshi Japan
4:02.98
8 8 CHUNG Kwok Leung Hong Kong, China
4:06.10
SYNCHRONIZED SWIMMING Duet Free Routine Final
1 JPN
TACHIBANA Miya
TAKEDA Miho
99.000 49.500
2 CHN
GU Bei Bei
ZHANG Xiao Huan
95.500 47.750
3 KOR
JANG Yoon Kyung
KIM Min Jeong
94.500 47.250
4 KAZ
TOKTAGAN Arna
KARIMOVA Aliya
88.333 44.167
5 UZB
KORNEYEVA Natalya
MOGAEVA Darya
84.666 42.333
6 MAC
SIN Wan I
CHAN Ian Chi
79.166 39.583
7 HKG
TSE Wing Sze Rosita
WONG Man Ting
75.500 37.750
WATER POLO Water Polo Preliminary Round
Kazakhstan
4 2 4 2 12
Islamic Republic of Iran
1 1 0 2 4
People's Rep. of China
2 4 0 3 9
Korea
1 2 0 2 5