The RIVALRY between Brendan HANSEN and Kosuke KITAJIMA

This throwback video examines the epic rivalry between American swimmer Brendan Hansen and Japanese star Kosuke Kitajima in the men's breaststroke events. From their first showdown at the 2001 World Championships to battling it out for Olympic gold in Athens in 2004, Hansen and Kitajima pushed each other to new heights, trading world records and bringing excitement to every race. Hear Hansen reflect on how Kitajima's emergence challenged him to elevate his training and performance, sparking one of the most competitive rivalries in swimming history.

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[sergior.gianelli]

Dude...I grew up in Brazil, watching those guys on tv. That was insane. 2 incredible legends, determined to increase the level every single competition.

[krissy]

I grew up a competitive swimmer myself and grew up watching this era and it was a whole other ball game back then. This is like Bolt and Phelps if they played the same sport - super entertaining rivalry

[spacenosound]

Kitajima is the goat of this event. 4th at 17 yrs old in the 100. 4 golds in two Olympics following that loss in 2000. 3 relay medals because of him. Hansen was great too, but let’s be honest here, Kitajima was legendary when it came to Olympic racing.

[mannme]

Even though it wasn’t gold, that 100m final in ‘12 where he overtook Kitajima for bronze was epic. Then to come out and win gold again in the 100 medley relay? Nice finish to a great career!