By Retta Race on SwimSwam
At just 23 years of age, Japan’s Rikako Ikee has already represented her nation at three Olympic Games.
The sprint ace placed 5th in the 100m fly in 2016, and was a key member on the Japanese women’s medley, freestyle and mixed medley relays at both the 2020 and 2024 Games.
As she gears up for the new Olympic quad aiming at an appearance in Los Angeles in 2028, Ikee says she’ll continue to train in Australia, where she has been based since October 2023.
Speaking to Sports Tokyo, Ikee said this week, “I was diagnosed with leukemia in 2019, just before the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, and after fighting the disease I was able to return to competition and achieve good results, so it’s not that the training environment in Japan doesn’t suit me.
“However, I really wanted to have Coach Michael Bohl watch my training. I’ve practiced so much, so I want to live my swimming career to the end without any regrets.
“That’s why I’ve decided to do my best in Australia until I retire from competitive swimming.”
Australia was where Ikee was based when she fell ill and was eventually diagnosed with leukemia in 2019. She spent most of 2019 in the hospital undergoing intense treatments before diving back into the pool and remarkably making the Japanese team for Tokyo.
Ikee announced last September that her leukemia was officially in remission.
With 62-year-old Bohl having retired last year only to unretire and join the Chinese Swimming Association, we’ll see if Ikee indeed sticks to her Aussie training plan under the guidance of newly-appointed Griffith coach Mel Marshall.
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