Kosuke Kitajima and Yukiko Ueno have each added another shining item to their prized collections.
On Tuesday, the Beijing Olympic gold medalists received trophies — crystal ornaments named Perseus made by French manufacturer Baccarat — for their brilliant athletic feats at the 2008 Baccarat Athletes of the Year Award reception at a Tokyo hotel.
"While the calendar turned to a new year and the heat for the Olympics cooled down, I was still able to accept such a great award like this and feel pleased about it," said Kitajima, the repeat Olympic winner in the men's 100- and 200-meter breaststroke races.