It has been nearly six months now since he shot to stardom at the Athens Olympics, but swimmer Kosuke Kitajima says that, in spite of all that has transpired since, fame has not altered his personality, though it has changed his life.

News photoKosuke Kitajima, a double gold medalist in the breaststroke at the Athens Games, speaks at a meeting of the Foreign Sportswriters Association of Japan in Tokyo on Feb. 1.

Speaking at a meeting of the Foreign Sportswriters Association of Japan last week in Tokyo, the double gold medalist in the breaststroke at the Summer Games talked for more than two hours about his life inside and outside the pool, including the impact of fame.