Japan swimmer Kosuke Kitajima's hopes of a world record in the 200-meter breaststroke ended when the 19-year-old pulled out of the Pan Pacific Championships with an elbow injury on Monday.
Kitajima plans to receive medical treatment in Hiroshima after withdrawing from an international meet for the first time in his career. He said the nagging injury was caused by intense training and fatigue.
He added, however, that he was unsure whether he would be able to compete in the 4x100 medley relay on the final day of the meet on Thursday at Yokohama International Pool.
"To be honest, I'm just glad this wasn't the Olympics," said Kitajima, who owns the national record of 2 minutes, 10.64 seconds -- just 0.48 second short of the world record -- in the 200-meter breaststroke.