Five years after being diagnosed with leukaemia, Rikako Ikee is set to compete at Paris 2024. The 16-year-old Japanese athlete finished fifth at Rio 2016. At 18, she was tipped to be one of the stars of the Tokyo Olympics after being named MVP of the 2018 Asian Games, where she won six gold and two silver medals. 

Just months after these triumphs, she was diagnosed with leukaemia in early 2019. She spent around 10 months in hospital. Her comeback was spectacular. She won the 100m freestyle and 100m butterfly at the 2021 Olympic Trials in August 2020. 

Her times were not fast enough to qualify for the individual events in Tokyo. But her performances earned her selection for her country's Olympic freestyle and medley relay teams.

Five years later, Ikee, now 23, secured her place in the 100m butterfly by just 0.01 seconds at the Japan trials in March this year, holding off the speedy Matsumoto Shiho to finish second in 57.34 seconds. 

"I think it was my long arms that won the race in the end," Ikee told Olympics.com. He was quoted by AFP. "I think God was on my side today," she added. The race was won by 17-year-old Haiari Mazuki in an impressive 56.91 seconds.

Ikee has a talent that makes her special. Perhaps that's why her fifth place in the butterfly heats at the Rio Games (56.86), ahead of the likes of Emma McKeon, catapulted her into the pantheon of experts. Her progress seemed limitless at the time, with seven medals already from the 2017 Junior World Championships.

She wrote on her social media about the 406 days she had not been able to get into a pool. Ikee did not qualify for the Budapest World Championships in 2022. However, she did compete in Fukuoka a year later. 

Also heading to Paris are 17-year-old Mio Narita in the women's individual medley and 18-year-old Tomoyuki Matsushita in the men's event. "Daichi Suzuki, head of the swimming federation, was quoted by the Japanese press as saying, "I am happy that many veterans and young talents have made it into the national team this time.

"I hope to see them on the podium in Paris with the Japanese flag on their shoulders," he added. Three-time world champion Daiya Seto will swim the men's individual medley. Japan's 27-member team for the Paris Games was announced by the country's swimming federation on Wednesday.