Athens Olympics breaststroke double gold medalist Kosuke Kitajima said Wednesday he will not compete in the upcoming short-course national championships because of a sore elbow.
Kitajima suffered an injury to his right elbow in January and although he is making a steady recovery, he has decided to sit out the Feb. 25-26 meet at Tokyo Tatsumi International Swimming Center as the injury is still causing him some discomfort.
"I could actually compete if I wanted to but it is not the main event for me," Kitajima said after a light 30-minute swim at a national team training session.
"I have to focus my efforts on posting good times at the national championships (in April) and qualifying for the (2007) world championships," he said.
Kitajima is set to leave for the United States for a one-month training camp starting March 1.