The Japanese star who beat cancer by swimming at the Olympics

When the Tokyo Olympics finally begin this week, Japanese organizers are looking forward to it. months of controversy on Covid-19 will be dragged by the power of the sport and in particular a 21-year-old swimmer named Rikako Ikei.

Ikei fell ill with leukemia in 2019 and was expected to miss the Olympics even though he was recovering. But postponing Tokyo 2020 for a year due to the coronavirus opened the door to an unlikely investment.

The story of Ikei, who comes out and is a fierce competitor, has made it a meeting point for those who want games to move forward despite the coronavirus, if only to fulfill the dreams of athletes who carry five years preparing for the competition. .

Coronavirus cases are on the rise in Tokyo and only 31% of the Japanese public has received a first dose of the Covid vaccine. After initially saying that spectators would be allowed, the Japanese government changed its mind this month and decided to hold the event behind closed doors.

“To tell you the truth, there are a lot of Japanese who don’t want to celebrate the Olympics,” said Akira Hayashi, a sports science professor at Tokai Gakuen University. “But having her active is something that really creates excitement.”

When Ikei left for a training camp in 2019, she was considered one of the best medals. At the previous year’s Asian Games, he dominated the freestyle and butterfly sprints, returning with six gold and two silver medals.

Tomoaki Tasaka, a former swimmer who now writes about the sport, said Ikei is known for her excellent technique and high body position in the water, which allows her to beat significantly higher rivals. “He loves racing and hates losing,” he said. “If he breaks a record, he’s not the type to stop here, he’s always looking to break it again.”

Then Ikei fell ill. Her coaches quickly took her to Japan, where she was diagnosed with leukemia. “I still can’t believe it,” he told his followers on Twitter. “But if treated correctly, a full recovery is possible.”

Throughout 2019, Ikei received grueling cancer treatment. “It was exhausting even to get up,” he told Japanese network NHK this year. “I was so sick it made me tired to even be alive.”

But at the end of the year he was released from the hospital. He returned to training and in August 2020 began swimming again in racing after an absence of almost two years.

“When I saw her return to competition a year ago, she looked like an invalid person. She was so thin: she didn’t look like an athlete at all, ”said Hayashi. “I thought the Tokyo Olympics were unimaginable and I should aim for Paris.”

But Ikei continued to improve and in February this year finished second in the 50m freestyle at the Japan Open. In the Olympic trials, he did not reach the deadline as an individual, but qualified for the medley relay.

Tasaka said the Japanese medley team is unlikely to be among the medals, but could set a national record and reach the final. “For her swimming at the Olympics will really show what a human can achieve,” she said.

Due to Ikei’s status as a symbol of Tokyo 2020, activists pushing for the cancellation of the Olympics began bombarding her with messages on social media, calling on her to withdraw or announce her opposition to games.

His dignified response, refusing to take a stand and calling out those sending “very hurtful messages,” was one of the factors that allowed Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga to push the games forward when Covid’s concerns were at their height in the May.

“From now on I want to really enjoy my progress,” Ikei told NHK. “If I can show little by little how a person who has been thorough has grown up to this point, wouldn’t that be good?”

His next step is Tokyo 2020. When he competes in late July, all of Japan will be watching.