Tokyo Olympics: Rikako Ikee says leukaemia battle ‘thousand times’ harder than expected as she prepares for home Games
- The six-time Asian Games gold medallist failed to qualify for individual events but is just happy to be swimming after making two relay teams in Tokyo
- The 21-year-old was diagnosed with leukaemia in February, 2019 and is only able to compete in Tokyo because the Olympics were delayed by one year
Japanese swimmer Rikako Ikee does not really expect to win gold in the two events she will race in at the Tokyo Games but that does not matter. After surviving leukaemia, just being on Japan’s Olympic team at a home Games is a victory in itself.
Ikee, 21, was diagnosed with leukaemia in February 2019 and while her treatment in hospital was far tougher than she ever imagined she was determined not to let it defeat her.
“This is dozens of times, hundreds of times, thousands of times harder than I thought,” she wrote on Twitter a month after her diagnosis. “I’ve had many times where I haven’t been able to eat for three days or more. But I won’t give up.”
The road to recovery was difficult but her persistence paid off and after battling back to fitness she returned to competition in August last year. That was just the beginning.
Ikee then won four titles at Japan’s national championships in April and while she failed to make the cut to compete at the Olympics in an individual event she claimed berths in the 400m freestyle relay and 4x100 medley relay.
“I didn’t have words to describe how I felt and I’m extremely happy,” said Ikee, who lost as much as 18kg during treatment. “I recalled all the tough times I went through, but I was thrilled to be able to come back here.”