Sports News | Japanese Swimmer Ikee Back After Leukemia Treatment
Get latest articles and stories on Sports at LatestLY. Olympic hopeful Rikako Ikee returned to competitive swimming on Saturday after undergoing treatment for leukemia for more than a year.
Tokyo, Aug 29 (AP) Olympic hopeful Rikako Ikee returned to competitive swimming on Saturday after undergoing treatment for leukemia for more than a year.
The 20-year-old from Japan would have been among the favorites in several races if she had not fallen ill and the Tokyo Olympics had taken place on schedule last month.
Ikee's best event is probably the 100-meter butterfly where she was nearing the world record until becoming unwell.
She marked her return in a 50-meter freestyle heat in a local meet in Tokyo, clocking 26.32 seconds. Her national record time is 24.21.
Ikee won six gold medals two years ago at the Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia. She is not expected to try to qualify for the delayed Tokyo Olympics in 2021 but could target the 2024 edition in Paris.
A month ago she appeared in Tokyo's new National Stadium where the opening ceremony would have been held. She was part of a brief video message to encourage other athletes to be hopeful the Olympics will take place next year despite the COVID-19 pandemic.
Local organizers and the International Olympic Committee say the delayed Games will open on July 23, but have given few details how the massive event might he held during a pandemic. (AP)
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)