Kosuke Kitajima failed to make the medals podium in the men's 200-meter breaststroke and fellow Olympic champion Ai Shibata was unable to keep her 400-meter freestyle title on the opening day of the national swimming championships Thursday.
Daisuke Kimura reacts after winning the men's 200-meter breaststroke race at
the national swimming championships in Tokyo.
Kitajima, winner of a 100 and 200 breaststroke double at the 2004 Athens Olympics, settled for fourth with a time of 2 minutes, 12.76 seconds, 0.22 behind winner Daisuke Kimura who went one better than last year's runnerup finish to claim his first national title.