Kosuke Kitajima heard the bad news last July. He was training in Spain before the Athens Olympics. A U.S. swimmer had easily broken Kitajima's world records-marks he had just set-in the 100-meter and 200-meter breast stroke. Kitajima's coach, Norimasa Hirai, asked Fumihiko Iwahara, 33, a researcher with the Japan Institute of Sports Sciences, to analyze video of the races.

Using the lane dividers to judge distance, Iwahara timed the American over every 10 meters and counted his strokes. He concluded the U.S. swimmer hadn't missed a stroke in a perfect performance.

How had the American done so well? Perplexed at first, he eventually considered the role of pressure.

``The reason he was able to swim so perfectly was because he was so far ahead of the other swimmers. He wasn't under any pressure at all. But could he be so perfect in an Olympic final?'' Iwahara said.

Sitting beside him, coach Hirai chimed in: ``So we pressure him. We'll take a psychological strategy.''

When they arrived at Athens, Hirai and Iwahara told Kitajima to go all out, even in the preliminaries. He followed instructions and set an Olympic record in his first prelim.

As far as the Japanese were concerned, the pressure was now on the American. The ball was in his court and he dropped it. Kitajima left Athens with two gold medals around his neck.

Iwahara is an exercise physiology specialist. He starts by taking blood samples of athletes during games or practice sessions. After measuring their lactic acid build-up-an indicator of fatigue levels-he calculates a practice regimen that meets each athlete's capabilities and goals.

A former swimmer himself, Iwahara began training at age 6 at the Tokyo Swimming Center, the same school Kitajima would later attend. Iwahara won about 50 national junior races and competed overseas during his career.

He swam about 30 kilometers nearly every day. In his third year in junior high, he was ranked seventh in the nation. Yet, he wondered why all his sweat wasn't paying off with a higher ranking. He questioned his practice methods.

In his second year in high school, back and shoulder injuries kept him out of the national sports meet for high school students. In college, he swam varsity for a time at Kokushikan University, but quit after a dispute with the manager over practice methods. With no particular goal, Iwahara spent his time skiing and working at part-time jobs.

But he returned to the swim team in his senior year when a new manager with a medical license and experience in sports medicine encouraged it. The coach-doctor taught him how to measure his lactic acid build-up. He also emphasized that the quality of the workout was more important than simply swimming lap after lap. Interested, Iwahara decided to stay on as a coach after graduation.

He also returned to the Tokyo Swimming Center to study under Hirai. That's when he met Kitajima, when the champion was still in junior high.

In spring 2000, Iwahara had a hunch that Kitajima would one day become a world-class swimmer. Acting on this feeling, he took a break from work on his doctoral thesis and paid his own way to accompany Kitajima and other swimmers to a high-altitude training camp in the United States at an elevation of 2,000 meters.

Kitajima was a high school senior at the time and ranked third in his event.

But judging from Kitajima's concentration, time, heart rate and other data, Iwahara was certain the kid was a future champ. In a race right after the U.S. trip, Kitajima set a new Japan record and won a spot on the Sydney Olympic team.

Experts believed that high-altitude training did nothing for short-distance swimmers. Iwahara's superiors even warned him that encouraging altitude training would damage his reputation as a sports scientist.

Iwahara searched for data to convince his peers otherwise, and also to provide support for another technique.

At that time, Hirai was trying to decide whether to continue rigorous strength training with his swimmers. Iwahara was a strong supporter of such workouts.

In the end, Kitajima's gold medals were, in great part, the result of Iwahara's scientific knowledge and his ability to bring out the best in both coach and swimmer.

Kitajima considers Iwahara someone he can trust. ``I've come to understand and accept his advice after he explains the data.'' Hirai calls the physiology specialist ``an important debating partner.''

This month, Iwahara, Hirai and Kitajima will get together for their 16th high-altitude training session. ``We want to shoot for the stars at the Beijing Olympics,'' Iwahara says.

Sports scientists

The Japan Institute of Sports Sciences, launched in 2001 to use medical science to boost athletic abilities, employs 71 researchers who specialize in exercise physiology and sports medicine. This institute also provided Kitajima with expertise in muscle development and other techniques. ``Kitajima is a prime example of a successful match between the athletes and researchers,'' says Toshio Asami, the head of the institute.(IHT/Asahi: March 12,2005)