After two years, the "swimming genius and beautiful girl" has tasted the sweetness of victory again.
In the 50-meter butterfly at the Tokyo Metropolitan Open on the 21st, Japanese swimming star Rikako Ikee won his first championship after his comeback.
She swims out of 25 seconds 77, can be ranked eighth in the 2019 World Championships.
This year, this result can be ranked fourth in the world.
From suffering from leukemia two years ago, to recovering from training after defeating the illness a year ago, and now re-winning the championship, Chijiang Rikako, who briefly bid farewell to the swimming pool, seemed to have returned to the way people first met her.
Beautiful and powerful.
Data map: Chijiang Lihuazi.
Image source: Osports All Sports Photo Agency
Some people refer to Chijiang Rikako as a "swimming genius and beautiful girl".
Because she gave birth in water, she was indissoluble with water since she was born.
She learned to swim at the age of 3 and four strokes at the age of 5. No one has ever questioned her talent in swimming.
In the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, Chijiang Rikako ushered in a full-blown explosion. He won 6 gold and 2 silver each, becoming the first female player in the history of the Asian Games to win the "Most Valuable Athlete" award.
Her rise once inspired the Japanese swimming world, and even named it the "Queen of Water in Asia".
Screenshot of Chijiang Lihuazi's social media.
Perhaps it was too amazing after debut, fate made Chi Jiang Lihuazi pause to run forward when she was 18 years old.
In February two years ago, Chi Jiang, who was on the rise in his career, announced on social media that he was suffering from leukemia.
The news was like a bolt from the blue and shocked the world swimming world.
She was only 18 years old that year. She had hoped to change the pattern of swimming in Asia and the world, but all the beautiful visions for the future became out of reach at the moment she was diagnosed with leukemia.
Chijiang Lihuazi received treatment.
After becoming ill, Chijiang Lihuazi started to use anticancer drugs and underwent hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.
Due to taking anti-cancer drugs, Chi Jiang often feels nausea and pain. She can't stand a little noise and doesn't want to watch TV or eat.
"I want to die when I'm the most tired, it's better to die," she said.
But think about the unfulfilled Olympic dream, think about the youth that has not yet bloomed at the age of 20, think about the relatives and friends who love her, Chi Jiang finally strengthened his belief in living.
Chi Jiang talked about the treatment process.
In December 2019, after 10 months of treatment, Chijiang Lihuazi was discharged from the hospital.
But for Chi Jiang, who wanted to return to the pool, leaving the hospital was just the first step in her long journey back.
In February last year, Chijiang Lihuazi resumed training on land.
But during training, her muscles will feel pain.
And because of illness, her body's muscles have gradually lost.
But she did not complain. In an interview, Chi Jiang said that she had never thought about "It would be fine if I didn't get sick," but "it taught me all this."
Chijiang Rikako shed tears during the interview.
Chijiang Rikako once wrote on personal social media: "I don't want to lose."
Whether in the arena or in the fight against illness, Chi Jiang has been interpreting this sentence.
After six months of physical recovery, Chijiang Lihuazi returned to the track.
In the Tokyo Special Tournament held on August 29 last year, she signed up for the 50-meter freestyle event. The Japanese national record for this event was 24.21 seconds.
In the end, Chi Jiang won the group first with 26.32 seconds.
Although she did not break the national record she had previously held, Chijiang Lihuazi's ability to stand on the court again is a rare miracle.
Data map: On August 24, 2018, champion Japanese Rikako Chijiang (middle), runner-up Chinese player Liu Xiang (left) and third runner-up Chinese player Wu Qingfeng at the award ceremony.
Photo source: Xinhua News Agency reporter Pan Yulong photo
After another six months of passing the hour hand, Chi Jiang's physical condition has been further recovered.
In a 50-meter freestyle competition at the Japan Swimming Open on February 7 this year, Chi Jiang won the silver medal with a time of 24.91 seconds and was on the podium for the first time after returning.
In the Tokyo Metropolitan Open on the 21st, in the 50-meter butterfly stroke, she made her first championship after her comeback and officially announced her return.
After winning the championship, Chijiang Rikako said that he would also participate in the Tokyo Olympic qualification trials in April, and said that his biggest goal is the 2024 Paris Olympics.
She hopes to win a medal for Japan through her own efforts.
For the 20-year-old Chi Jiang, it is not too late.
At this time, she had already performed a sufficiently perfect victory.