time double Olympic swimming champion Kosuke Kitajima said Monday he was ready to take on the pressure when he bids for a third straight golden double at the London Games. The 29-year-old beat his rivals in both the 100m and 200m breaststroke finals at the national championships last week, which served as Olympic trials for Japanese swimmers. “The fact that I could demonstrate what I had under such pressure has helped me remove fears about going to the world,” he told a news conference after the Japan Swimming Federation formally announced its Olympic squad. “I am confident of overcoming such pressure on the basis of my experience,” said Kitajima, who retained the 100m and 200m breaststroke titles at the 2008 Beijing Games. “I think I will just prepare myself to be able to stand on the starting block with my head held high.” At the nationals, he won the 100m breaststroke in a Japanese record of 58.90 seconds, ahead of Asian Games champion Ryo Tateishi who clocked 59.60. In the 200m, Kitajima clocked 2:08.00, the world's fastest time since special swimsuits were banned in 2010. Kitajima was selected for the 27-strong squad of 13 men and 14 women. London will be his fourth Olympics since his debut at the Sydney Games in 2000 where he finished fourth in the 100m. For 17 members of the Japanese team, it will be their first Olympics. Responding to a question on the possibility of his winning another double in London, he said: “As long as I have a chance. I will go for it.” And asked on what motivates him to carry on his long-running career he replied: “Because I enjoy it. I enjoy the thrills and nerves of being a challenger.” Also on the squad are Takeshi Matsuda, who finished runner-up to American Michael Phelps in the men's 200m butterfly at the worlds, and world 200m backstroke silver medallist Ryosuke Irie. Zhang's Olympic bid sinking Zhang Lin's London Olympics bid hangs by a thread after the 800 meters freestyle world record holder's poor performances at China's national championships, state media said Monday. Zhang finished 10th in the 200m and sixth in the 1,500m freestyle at the event in east China. He was fourth in the 400m — a yawning 6.83sec behind winner Sun Yang. He said he was bewildered by his dismal timings, according to the official China Daily newspaper. “I am really tired and the results here are so disappointing... I don't know what's wrong with my performance. It was supposed to be much better. I've regained my rhythm and done tests well in training,” he was quoted as saying. Zhang's coach Chen Yinghong also expressed shock, blaming asthma for hindering his performances. “I was struck by the results. I think the asthma he showed... was the only explanation,” he said, according to the report. Zhang's timings were well off the requirements for Olympic qualification and a shadow of his performance at the 2008 Beijing Games, when he became China's first male Olympic medallist, bagging a silver in the men's 400m freestyle. A year later, he broke the 800m freestyle world record during the Rome world championships. Men's 800m freestyle is not an Olympic event. But Zhang has vowed not to give up “as long as I still hold a slice of a chance” of securing a berth at this year's Games, the report said.
