Omaha, Neb. ? Former Texas star Brendan Hansen felt fatigue settling in, his usual smooth breaststroke failing him in the final meters of Thursday’s 200.

Just get to the wall, he thought. One or two, just qualify.

His teammates at Longhorn Aquatics, Scott Spann and Eric Shanteau, were quickly reeling him in, though, getting closer and closer, until all of them were touching in a flurry.

“And I knew it,” Hansen said. “I touched the wall and, Scott, his right was faster than mine. And I just said ‘You son of a …”‘

He said this last part with a smile. Though Hansen had been thinking of this race since taking bronze in Athens, since his world record had recently been shattered, since almost forever, he also understands how to lose with class.

And class dictates being gracious even in heartbreaking defeat.

So on a night when he finished fourth – 2004 Olympian Scott Usher also passed him at the end – thereby failing to qualify to swim “his baby” in Beijing, Hansen smiled and talked about his excitement for his University of Texas training partners going to their first Olympics.

And I do not think I have ever been more impressed by an athlete than I was in that moment. He obviously realizes this Olympic thing is bigger than him and what happens to him.

“It’s going to be hard for me,” Hansen admitted. “But I’m going to tell these guys what they need to do to beat him. Because if I can’t do it, I’m going to make sure that they do. And him, you know who I am talking about.”

Almost 10 Japanese reporters began nodding.

Him is Japanese Olympian Kosuke Kitajima. And he is why Brendan had almost a reverse Godzilla situation going in Omaha this week, being quasi-stalked by Japanese journalists.

OK, so this assembled media contingency is friendly, actually a very nice group that is just super interested in Hansen and his rivalry with Kitajima, who beat him twice in Athens and broke his world record.

“Not only Hansen,” Asahi TV reporter Yuji Kitano said, “but mainly Hansen.”

Only Obama and Madonna rank above Brendan in popularity, Kitano said, with stories on Kitajima running daily. So is Hansen viewed as an honored competitor or villain?

“We are hoping he’ll be like a villain, but he’s such a nice guy actually,” Asahi’s Izumi Shiraishi said.

So when Hansen failed in his bid to qualify in the 200 breaststroke, his Japanese entourage was truly bummed. He is still going to race Kitajima in the 100 meters, but everybody was looking forward to a real showdown with The Texan.

Sorry, Aggies, Kitano said burnt-orange horns have come to signify Texas to many in Japan. “You know, like on Brendan’s T-shirts,” he said.

Kitajima and all of Japan now have another pair of ‘Horns to deal with in Beijing, with Spann and Shanteau carrying on Brendan’s half of this rivalry.

So are they ready to take on Kitajima?

“That is the next step,” Spann said. “I can’t even process that I made the team. That’s just … God … unbelievable.”

What is crazy is Hansen seemed to be the only one who thought this might happen. He talked about feeling like he had “bench pressed” his 100 breaststroke race Tuesday and about being nervous all week, and admitted he had a bad feeling when he arrived Thursday at Qwest Center. Everybody else? Stunned.

“I would have put money on that race,” breaststroker Amanda Beard said. “That freaked me out about Brendan. I love that guy.”

Everybody in USA Swimming does.

And it was easy to see why by how he handled Thursday.

“Part of me won tonight because both of those guys I taught everything I possibly know the last six to eight months to prepare them,” Hansen said. “Like I said, I’m really proud of those guys. I’ll make sure they are ready.”