Kitajima went 2:07.51 to break Hansen's WR by .99 sec.He was wearing a LZR in defiance of Japanese swimming authorities.I can't find video of the swim yet,can anyone else?
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I understand what everyone is saying about sportsmanship, and I don't think that Kitajima was trying to be offensive with his shirt. On the other hand, the guy just smashed a world record by about a second. I think that swimmers should try to be respectful of each other, but at the same time it's their decision to choose how they celebrate. If the other swimmers don't like it, all they have to do is set a new record and celebrate in their own way. Mark Spitz was probably one of the most arrogant swimmers around, but he did wonders marketing the sport of swimming. I see no problem with Gary Hall kissing his biceps before the 50 and then stepping up to win a gold. It gives the sport a little personality. Swimming has very little visible emotion in it (to the average spectator). Think about the other sports where you can see the player's emotions (even in golf with the Tiger Woods fist pump). This is much harder to show when you're in the middle of swimming a 200 breastroke. It's hard for the general public to relate to the athletes and this is one of the reasons college swim teams are being cut--no one gives a crap about swimming (doesn't generate income or notoriety). Just my two cents.
I understand what everyone is saying about sportsmanship, and I don't think that Kitajima was trying to be offensive with his shirt. On the other hand, the guy just smashed a world record by about a second. I think that swimmers should try to be respectful of each other, but at the same time it's their decision to choose how they celebrate. If the other swimmers don't like it, all they have to do is set a new record and celebrate in their own way. Mark Spitz was probably one of the most arrogant swimmers around, but he did wonders marketing the sport of swimming. I see no problem with Gary Hall kissing his biceps before the 50 and then stepping up to win a gold. It gives the sport a little personality. Swimming has very little visible emotion in it (to the average spectator). Think about the other sports where you can see the player's emotions (even in golf with the Tiger Woods fist pump). This is much harder to show when you're in the middle of swimming a 200 breastroke. It's hard for the general public to relate to the athletes and this is one of the reasons college swim teams are being cut--no one gives a crap about swimming (doesn't generate income or notoriety). Just my two cents.
