Bouncing Back

His strokes were at least four centimeters shorter than those of his nearest competitor, but when Kosuke Kitajima churned the Athens pool in a frenzied quest for gold in the 100-m breaststroke race last week, Japan's finest swimmer wasn't about to let a few centimeters of European torso or American leg stop him. Tagging the end of the pool in a speedy display somewhat slowed by brisk winds, the 1.78-m Kitajima raised his arms in a banzai cheer and threw back his head as a strange wail swirled through the stadium and skittered across the surface of the pool. Delivered in...

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