BEIJING -- On a day without Michael Phelps gunning for a medal, two Asian swimmers took center stage in the Water Cube at the Beijing Games on Thursday.

China's Liu Zige set a new world record in the women's 200m butterfly, pocketing China's 1st swimming gold, while Kosuke Kitajima of Japan became the first swimmer to claim both the 100m and 200m butterfly gold medals at consecutive games.

Liu Zige of China celebrates winning the women's 200 meters butterfly swimming final at the National Aquatics Center during the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games August 14, 2008. Liu set a new world record, pocketing host China's first swimming gold at the Beijing Olympic Games. [Agencies]

In front of thousands of home crowd at the Water Cube, Liu clocked two minutes 04.18 seconds to chop over a second off the previous mark set by Australian Jessicah Schipper in 2006.  

Her compatriot Jiao Liuyang came second in 2:04.72, and Schipper was third in 2:06.26.

"I didn't expect that I could swim so fast, and I was so surprised to win the gold in a world record time," said Liu.

Japan's Kosuke Kitajima achieved an unprecedented double-double in the Olympics breaststroke.

The Asian swimming prodigy repeated the double breastroke gold he claimed in Athens four years ago.