Asia's greatest swimmer Kosuke Kitajima stole the spotlight from Michael Phelps on Thursday with an unprecedented double-double in the Olympics breaststroke. France's Alain Bernard won swimming's blue riband event, the men's 100 freestyle, by a whisker from Australia's Eamon Sullivan in a thrilling race, after trailing at the half-way stage. Both men had set world records in the semi-finals and matched each other stroke-for-stroke at the finish. It was better news, though, for Sullivan's former girlfriend Stephanie Rice, the glamour girl of Australian swimming, who got her third gold of the Games in the women's 4x200 freestyle relay. The Australian team screamed and hugged each other after chopping nearly six seconds off the world record and holding off a strong challenge from the Chinese. Sullivan and Rice had split up just before the Games to concentrate on their events. China did better in the women's 200 butterfly, scoring a surprise one-two, with Liu Zige winning in a world record time from compatriot Jiao Liuyang. World champion Jessica Schipper, who led at half-way, had to settle for bronze. "I just took it easy," the 19-year-old Liu told state television, crediting her dramatic improvement since April to "adjustments". In the men's 200 breaststroke, Kitajima led all the way for his second gold of the Games. He also won the 100 breastroke on Monday and both events in Athens, a rare Olympic achievement and the first time it has been done in the breaststroke. He raised a finger in triumph as he left the poolside. "I was not thinking about winning two gold medals at two consecutive Olympics," he said. "That was never my goal. I was just focused on doing my best in Beijing." In the women's 100 freestyle, Australia's world record holder Libby Trickett needed a lucky break to sneak into the final, qualifying only after China's Pang Jiaying, who touched first in the second semi-final, was disqualified for a false-start. After becoming the all-time most successful Olympian with 11 career golds, American swimming phenomenon Phelps has a relatively quieter day. He won his semi-final in the 200 individual medley in the morning and has 100 butterfly heats in the evening.
