Kosuke Kitajima of Japan celebrates after winning the men's 200m breaststroke final at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games in the National Aquatics Center, also known as the Water Cube in Beijing, China, Aug. 14, 2008. Kitajima set a new Olympic record and won the gold medal in the event with 2 minutes 7.64 seconds. (Xinhua/Chen Kai)

The Japanese secured himself a center lane by topping Wednesday's heats and led throughout to win his favorite race. He swam under the world record pace in the second and third legs, and finished about 0.13 seconds shy of his own world record, set in June at 2:07.51.

"I feel very reliefed. I expected to break the world record, but that doesn't matter now. The Olympics is about winning the gold," he said.

"The 100m was important for me and it has given me a lot of confidence," he added.

Kitajima successfully defended his Olympic title in the 100m breaststroke by bettering rival American Brendan Hansen's world record by 0.22 seconds at 58.91 seconds. Hansen failed to qualify in the 200m breaststroke.

After Kitajima's victory in the 100m breaststroke on Monday, people in his hometown in Arakawa Ward, Tokyo, rushed to his father's butcher's shop to celebrate the win.

Eric Shanteau, an American swimmer diagnosed with testicular cancer,failed to qualify for the 200m breaststroke.

(Xinhua News Agency August 14, 2008)