Swimming: Rikako Ikee declares her leukemia to be in ‘complete remission’

TOKYO (Kyodo) — Women’s swimming star Rikako Ikee said Wednesday that her leukemia is in complete remission five years after she announced her diagnosis in 2019.

“It feels it was a very long five years,” a post on her Instagram account said.

She first noticed something was wrong while training in Australia and received her diagnosis upon returning to Japan. After undergoing treatment, she recovered enough to resume training and competed in a team event at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

This summer in Paris, Ikee competed in an individual Olympic event for the first time since 2016, advancing to the 100-meter butterfly semifinals.

“Even after being discharged from the hospital, life was harder than I imagined, with a different serious illness and a period of time that was tough mentally,” her post said.

“In my heart, running away was not an option. Going forward, I want to bring out that side of me as I give my all in pursuit of competitive swimming.”