TOKYO — Double Olympic champion Kosuke Kitajima said Wednesday he will wear Speedo's high-tech LZR Racer swimsuit at the Beijing Olympics.

Kitajima set a world record of 2 minutes, 07.51 seconds in the suit in the men's 200 breaststroke on Sunday at the Japan Open, taking almost a full second off the previous mark set by American Brendan Hansen in 2006.

Kitajima, who won the 100- and 200-meter breaststroke at the 2004 Olympics, had been contracted to wear a Mizuno suit at the Olympics.

All the nation's swimmers were contracted to wear suits made by Japanese manufacturers until 16 national records were broken in the Japan Open last week by swimmers wearing the Speedo suit. That prompted the Japan Swimming Federation to meet Tuesday and grant its swimmers freedom of choice on suits.

"I'm going to wear Speedo swimwear at the Beijing Olympics," Kitajima said in a statement released by his management company. "In order to show my best performance to everyone supporting me I think this is the right choice."

Since the high-tech Speedo suit was introduced in February, dozens of world records have been set.