Japanese swim king Kosuke Kitajima formally announced his retirement from competition yesterday, content with his legacy as Japan’s greatest-ever swimmer.
Arguably the greatest breaststroker of all-time, the 33-year-old insisted there would be no flip-flopping on his decision, made 48 hours earlier after failing to qualify for his fifth Olympics in Rio this summer.
“To be honest I’m sad to be retiring,” said Kitajima, who scooped double gold in the men’s 100 and 200 metres breaststroke at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics.
“But I knew sooner or later the day was coming. I’ve been lucky enough to compete for a long time and have a happy career. There will probably be a hole in my heart where swimming once was but I’ve got no regrets.
“It’s disappointing not to be able to go to Rio,” added Kitajima on the final day of the national championships, which doubled as Japanese Olympic trials.  
“It’s my own fault I couldn’t get there. I’m deeply sorry to let down everyone who believed in me and supported me.”
Kitajima finished fifth in Friday’s 200m, having already missed out in the 100m earlier in the week, as heir apparent Yasuhiro Koseki and 19-year-old Ippei Watanabe booked their spots in Rio to mark a changing of the guard.
“This competition has shown me I’m no longer at that level where I can take on the world,” he said. “I wish the 2020 Tokyo Olympics had come a little earlier for me but I hope the new generation of swimmers can carry the flag.”
Kitajima, a three-times world champion who smashed several world records during his illustrious career, had flirted with retirement after his stunning performance at Beijing in 2008 when he retained his Olympic titles, an unprecedented achievement in his event.