Having survived an endemic, Ikee would hope for a very good present at Paris.
| Photo Credit: AP
Leukaemia survivor Rikako Ikee will compete for Japan within the 100m butterfly at the Paris Olympics after lacking out on a person place at the Tokyo Games three years in the past.
Three-time world champion Daiya Seto will swim the lads’s particular person medley after Japan’s 27-member crew for the Paris Games was introduced by the nation’s Swimming Federation on Wednesday.
An 18-year-old Ikee was named MVP of the 2018 Asian Games after claiming six golds and two silvers, and was anticipated to be one of many stars of the Tokyo Olympics.
In early 2019, just a few months after these triumphs, she was identified with leukaemia and spent round 10 months in hospital.
She solely returned to competitors in August 2020 and accomplished an unbelievable comeback by profitable the 100m freestyle and 100m butterfly at the 2021 Olympic trials.
Her occasions weren’t quick sufficient to qualify for the person occasions in Tokyo however the performances gained her choice for each freestyle and medley relay groups at her dwelling Olympics.
Now 23, Ikee secured her place within the 100m butterfly by simply 0.01sec at Japan’s trials earlier this month as she held off the fast-finishing Matsumoto Shiho to end second in 57.34sec.
“In the end I think it was my long arms that won the touch,” Ikee was quoted as saying by Olympics.com.
“I think God was on my side today.”
The race was received in a powerful 56.91sec by 17-year-old Haiari Mazuki, certainly one of a number of gifted Japanese youngsters within the crew.
Also heading to Paris are Mio Narita, 17, within the girls’s particular person medley and Tomoyuki Matsushita, 18, who swims the identical occasion for males.
“I’m glad lots of veterans and young talent made it to the national team this time,” Daichi Suzuki, the swimming federation chief, was reported as saying by Japan media.
“I hope to see them on the podium with Japan’s national flag on their shoulders in Paris,” he added.
