One of the most versatile swimmers in Japan, Kosuke Hagino is expected to appear on the podium throughout the 2016 Rio Olympics in several events. His only medal from the 2012 London Games was a bronze in the 400m IM.
Swimming beginnings
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Hagino started swimming before he turned 1 year old and says he didn't excel at any sports that involved a ball. Hagino is trained by Japanese breaststroke champion Kosuke Kitajima's former coach.
Major competitions/ medals
In the 400m individual medley at the 2012 Olympics, Hagino won a bronze medal - that came ahead of Michael Phelps, who was fourth in that race.
At the 2013 World Championships, Hagino swam a variety of events and brought home several medals: 400m freestyle (silver), 200m IM (silver), 200m freestyle (fifth), 100m backstroke (seventh), 200m backstroke (fifth) and 400m IM (fifth).
He was expected to be a medal threat in several events at the 2015 World Championships. But before he could compete, Hagino fell of a bicycle at a training camp in France and missed the meet due to injury.
Breakout moment
Even though he won a bronze medal at the 2012 Games in the 400m IM, Hagino really burst onto the scene at the Pan Pacific Championships in 2014, winning both the 200m IM and the 400m IM. Later that year, he was named the MVP of the Asian Games.
Top quotes
"Michael Phelps is my role model, and I'm trying to become like him. I want to catch up with Phelps someday. But I have to put up the results." - Kosuke Hagino told Agence France-Presse after winning the 200m freestyle at the 2014 Asian Games
Olympic experience
Hagino won a bronze medal in the 400m IM at the 2012 London Olympics. The 2016 Olympics in Rio are his second Games.
Social media
Twitter: @HaginoKosuke