Japan's double Olympic swimming champion Kosuke Kitajima carefully avoided highlighting his rivalry with American Brendan Hansen when his country's Olympic swimming team was unveiled.

Kitajima has played second fiddle to world record holder Hansen since winning gold in the 100 and 200 metres breaststroke at the 2004 Athens Olympics and will be the underdog in Beijing this August.

"I'm sure we will be aware of each other," Kitajima said. "But Hansen is not my only rival."

Kitajima's Olympic preparations have been shrouded in mystery, though Japan's top swimmer has put himself through a brutal regime of high altitude training in the run-up.

The 25-year-old said he was quietly confident about his chances after winning the 100 and 200 metres at the Japanese national championships last week to rubber stamp his Olympic spot.

"It was a mixed performance," said Kitajima, who set a Japanese record in the 200.

"I was trying too hard in the 100 but the 200 was a good race for me.

"Producing every bit of power that I've built up during training in Beijing will be the key. It will be about going there and going flat-out from the qualifiers."

Kitajima, one of 31 Japanese swimmers selected for the Beijing Games, insisted he was comfortable with the prospect of morning finals.

"It's something you have to accept," he shrugged.

"I'm not worried about not swimming fast times just because the finals are in the morning."

Kitajima and Yuko Nakanishi, 2004 bronze medallist in the women's butterfly, were selected for their third Japanese Olympic squad.

Japan won three gold medals, one silver and four bronze medals in Athens four years ago but Japanese officials played down their hopes of beating that haul in Beijing.

"We hope to see our swimmers reach the finals at least," Japan's swimming team chief Koji Ueno said.

"But with speeds getting faster and faster it will be harder to win medals."

Reuters