Double Olympic gold medalist Kosuke Kitajima came within a whisker of the 50-meter breaststroke national record in his first race of the year on Saturday.
Kitajima clocked 27.30 seconds in a time trial held in the 25-meter pool at Tatsumi International Swimming Center, 0.03 shy of his own national record, as he warmed up for the Feb. 26-27 national short-course championships.