That up there is Kosuke Kitajima of Japan. He's just won a gold medal for swimming the breaststroke extremely quickly in that ongoing sporting event you may have heard about. Congratulations are in order then, but what's his secret? Strict 5am starts? Hours of training a day? A controlled diet? All three, we'd imagine, but also: Mario.
It turns out that Kitajima likes his Wii, specifically Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, which he cites as an influence. "See, Mario does the breaststroke," explained the swimmer to Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun. "And thus, it's perfect mental training for envisioning the actual Olympic hall." Riiight. Sega can spend all it wants on marketing its ubiquitous game, but that's as good as free publicity gets.
[Via Kotaku]
