Swimmer Ikee Qualifies for Tokyo Olympics after Leukemia

Tokyo, April 4 (Jiji Press)--Japanese swimmer Rikako Ikee won the women's 100-meter butterfly in the national championships on Sunday, qualifying for a place in the 4x100 medley relay at the Tokyo Olympic Games, in a dramatic comeback from her battle with leukemia. Ikee, 20, won the race in 57.77 seconds for her first title in the competition category in three years. "I wasn't expecting to win the 100 meters at all. I was very glad to learn the result and I can't put (my feelings) into words," a tearful Ikee said after the race at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre, the swimming venue for this summer's Tokyo Games. "I'm now very happy." "I thought that no matter how grueling it is, hard work pays off," she also said. Ikee took part in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics at age 16 and had since continued to show strong performances. But she was diagnosed with leukemia in February 2019 and spent about 10 months battling the disease at hospital. She returned to competitive swimming in August 2020 after an absence of some 19 months. The latest national championships were the sixth competition since her return. After returning to the pool, Ikee had said her biggest goal was to take part in the 2024 Paris Olympics. But she proved herself a top-level swimmer in Japan earlier than many had expected. People involved in cancer patients' groups celebrated Ikee's qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics. "She is a rising star for patients and their families. There is nothing more delightful than this," said Yuichi Yamazaki, a 70-year-old senior official of a national liaison association promoting the bone-morrow donor registry. "I wasn't expecting such a miraculous revival. This is a result of her own hard work and support (from people around her)," Yamazaki said. At the same time, he expressed worries that she may work too hard and become ill. Michiyo Arita, the 74-yar-old head of a nonprofit organization offering support for cancer patients, said that although leukemia had been called an irrecoverable disease, it has become clear that it is curable. "I'm full of emotion." END