"It was important for me to go to Paris on my own. All I can say is how happy I am."



Rikako Ikee, who has been selected to represent the women's 100m butterfly at the Paris Olympics.

This was the start of "Chapter 3" of Ikee's competitive swimming career, as she secured her ticket to the Olympics in her individual event, which was her goal.


(Sports News Department Reporter Shohei Matsuyama)

[Click here for details] Rikako Ikee selected for Olympic team, women's 100m butterfly

“I would like to tell myself four years ago that I would definitely go to Paris, and that there is more to come than that, but I have worked hard to make that happen.”

These are the words that Ikee posted on his SNS on the 17th, when the tournament started.



The first time I went into a swimming pool after announcing that I had leukemia was exactly four years ago on March 17th.



On that milestone day, he showed his determination to go to Paris.

“One-shot match” representative selection.



Ikee approached this big event with a certain mindset.

"It feels like 'Chapter 3' has begun. Chapter 1 is who I was up until high school, Chapter 2 is who I was when I recovered from illness, and Chapter 3 is seriously heading to the Paris Olympics in the individual event. This time. I think it's about standing on the starting block for that purpose."

Ikee participated in the Rio de Janeiro Olympics as a high school student and has broken various Japanese records.

Participating in the Tokyo Olympics as a relay member (2021)

After being diagnosed with leukemia in 2019, he returned to racing after spending about 10 months in the hospital and participated in the Tokyo Olympics as a relay member.

Ever since I recovered from my illness, I had envisioned competing in the individual event at the Paris Olympics.

Ikee spoke about his determination before the tournament.

"Ever since I came back, I had a strong belief in my heart that I would definitely go to Paris. I have to go to Paris now. I'm intentionally putting pressure on myself."

To that end, I placed myself in a new environment.



Last fall, he moved his practice base to Australia and began receiving guidance from coach Michael Ball, who has trained many talented players.

Looking back, we were given a tough menu and improved our speed in the first half, which was an issue.

``Since I changed bases, I've been able to overcome extremely tough training sessions and do what I need to do.The past few months have been so tough that I don't think I've ever done anything this hard in the 20 years since I started competitive swimming.''

Up until now, his exposure to the sun has been limited due to his illness, but his tanned skin from swimming in the outdoor pool seemed to be a sign of the quality time he was spending.



Assistant coach Janelle Pallister, who is accompanying us to Japan this time, is...

Assistant Coach Janelle Pallister


: ``At first, I was nervous, but the big change was that I was able to enjoy the new environment, strengthen myself, and gain confidence.''

The competition for representative selection has just arrived.



Ikee set a personal best time after returning from illness with a time of 57.54 seconds in the qualifying round.



Furthermore, in the semi-finals, she improved her time by 0.51 seconds compared to the qualifying round, passing the top and advancing to the finals. She said, ``What I've done is giving me strength.''

And the finals.



As planned, she showed an aggressive race from the first half, and after a fierce competition with Mizuki Hirai, a 17-year-old rising star swimming in the lane next to her, she finished in 2nd place, breaking the standard record, and achieving her long-awaited Olympic goal in the individual event. I got an offer to become the representative.

After the race, Ikee spoke with a beaming expression.

``For the first time in a while, since I was in high school, I felt excited and looking forward to a race, wondering how many seconds I would get. Being able to get that feeling back was a big accomplishment.''

After that, we are looking ahead to the next step.

``I have a feeling that I can run a time in the 56-second range.I'm the type of person who is good at real races, so I'll never forget that feeling, and the only one who can surpass me is myself, so I want to believe in that.I want to go even higher. i wanna go"

Ikee regained his strength and confidence and began the third chapter of his competitive swimming career.



What kind of page will she write on the Paris stage?