Japan's Kosuke Kitajima, world record holder in the 200-meter breaststroke, set a short-course national record of 58.64 seconds in finishing second in the men's 100-meter breaststroke at a World Cup meet in Sweden on Wednesday.
"This time has really done wonders for my confidence," said Kitajima, who shaved 0.12 seconds of the 58.76 time he set in Paris last week. Wednesday's race was won by Russian Roman Sloudnov in 57.97 while Oleg Lisogor of Ukraine came home in third in 58.78.
Elsewhere for Japan, Atsushi Nishikori was third in the men's 50 meters backstroke in 24.63 while in women's action, Noriko Inada finished second in the 100 meters backstroke in 59.62, as did Yurie Yano in the 200 meters butterfly in 2:08.00.