Japanese swimmer Rikako Ikee has qualified for the Tokyo Olympics 4x100m medley relay two years after being diagnosed with leukaemia, BBC Sport reported. Ikee was in tears after finishing in 57.77 seconds at Tokyo Aquatics Center, the Olympic swimming venue. She needed 57.92 for a place in the medley relay, while 57.10 was the Japan Swimming Federation's required standard to compete for Japan this summer in the 100 butterfly. She said: I've never thought I'd be able to win the 100. I was less confident compared to the qualifier five years ago and I thought I could win only in the distant future. But I trained to win and I was saying to myself 'I'm back', as I entered this race. So no matter how unconfident or tough or difficult things are, if you work hard you get rewarded. In the end, I went into the race thinking, 'I'm home. I belong here’. Ikee had been expected to be one of Japan's top medal hopefuls at the Tokyo Olympics before she was diagnosed with leukaemia in 2019. She battled back to fitness and returned to competition in August last year. But she had said she was not aiming for Tokyo and that the Paris 2024 Olympics were her goal. Source
