Leukemia survivor Ikee to swim at Paris Olympics

AFP, Tokyo :
Leukemia survivor Rikako Ikee will compete for Japan in the 100m butterfly at the Paris Olympics after missing out on an individual place at the Tokyo Games three years ago.

Three-time world champion Daiya Seto will swim the men’s individual medley after Japan’s 27-member team for the Paris Games was announced by the country’s Swimming Federation on Wednesday.

An 18-year-old Ikee was named MVP of the 2018 Asian Games after claiming six golds and two silvers, and was expected to be one of the stars of the Tokyo Olympics.

In early 2019, a few months after those triumphs, she was diagnosed with leukaemia and spent around 10 months in hospital.