Kitajima lays down gauntlet to Hansen in Beijing

Wednesday 30th July, 06:22 AM JST

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9 Comments

smithinjapan at 05:37 PM JST - 30th July

Good luck to both... and I'm thrilled we didn't hear any arrogance at all in Kitajima's reply; sounds like a pretty honest and decent individual. Of course, I'm hearing PLENTY of arrogance on his behalf from all sorts of Japanese pumped about winning some medals after the more than lousy Winter Olympics medal count, and I'm going to buy ear-plugs if he wins gold. I'm not hoping he loses... not at all... but then at least it would be dead silent the next day.

Anyway, looking forward to the Olympics... politics aside.
rajakumar at 08:04 PM JST - 30th July

BEIJING GAMES

ONLY FINAL 9 DAYS TO GO.

GO Kitajima/Japan olympic team/world records.
OssanULTRA at 02:06 AM JST - 31st July

Good luck to both of them. I hope they can both breathe.
rajakumar at 10:50 AM JST - 31st July

Final 8 Days to go, for olympics to begin.

Hope the swimming records by Kitajima/others inspires more youths to take up swimming, as a physical education sports of their liking.
ExPrinceska at 10:54 AM JST - 31st July

Kitajima is a really sports hero! I respect him very much, because it is difficult to win against Americans, Australians, Russians etc but he has done it and will do it again hopefully! Go Kitajima! He and the Romanian-Japanese guy are my favourites and of course the women's marathon representatives.
borscht at 08:58 PM JST - 31st July

Bad headline. I'm looking forward to the Kitajima/Hansen race, too, but I saw no gauntlet slapping in the article.
Blue_Tiger at 03:27 PM JST - 2nd August

I thik that Kitajima's meaning is far different than what the media has portrayed it to be. When Hansen failed to qualify for the 200 Breast in the US Qualifiers, the J-Media was all gaga that Kitajima's rival had been defeated. Kitajima, on the other hand, was idsapointed, and his statements later reflected that. The reason I dislike J-Athletes at the Olympics is because of all the stupid hype that the vast majority of the J-Media pumps. Most - if not all - of the J-Athletes are likeable, humble people, who see their chances at the Olympics as blessings rather than a stage to hype themselves up. The J-Media just makes me want to dislike J-Athletes and want them to lose, lose, lose....
ExPrinceska at 03:35 PM JST - 2nd August

The J-Media just makes me want to dislike J-Athletes and want them to lose, lose, lose....

is it so easy to influence you? I will support the Japanese athletes I admire, Kitajima and Murofushi and the judo guys (without the women because I do not think judo is women's sport).
Blue_Tiger at 10:29 AM JST - 4th August

ExPrinceska - I like Kitajima. I didn't at the Athens Oympics, but then, later, hearing the man speak for himself rather than listening to the J-Media speak for him, I found hm to be a truly humble athlete whose appearance in the Olympics was considered, on his part, to be a blessing, rather than somethign to hype up. His words of disappointment following Hanses's failure in the 200 breaststroke were in stark contrast to every J-Media Outlet's exclamations of glee.