Rikako Ikee Splits 56.19 In First Post-Leukemia 400 Freestyle Relay

96TH JAPAN STUDENT SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Thursday, October 1st – Sunday, October 4th
• Tokyo Tatsumi International Swimming Center
• LCM (50m)
• Entries (in Japanese)
• SwimSwam Preview
• Day 1 Recap
• Results

While competing on day 2 of the 96th Japan Student Swimming Championships, 20-year-old leukemia survivor Rikako Ikee took on her 2nd event.

Ikee already inspired spectators and athletes alike with her 4th place finish in the individual 50m freestyle on day 1.  Here at Tokyo Tatsumi International Swimming Center, the Nihon University student-athlete posted a time of 25.62 to just miss the podium in the women’s 50m free event but registered her fastest time since having been away from competition for more than 600 days.

During this morning’s prelims, Ikee was back in action, unexpectedly joining teammates on the Nihon women’s 4x100m freestyle relay. Along with Mayuka Yamamoto, Sachi Mochida, and Waka Kobori, Ikee helped the squad reach a collective time of 3:45.69 to claim the 2nd seed.

On her 3rd leg, Ikee put up a split of 56.19 for her first 100m freestyle in well over a year. For perspective, her teammates split as follows: 56.92 for Yamamoto, 55.75 for Mochida, and 56.83 for Kobori.

Ikee owns the Japanese national record in the individual 100m free event with the 52.79 logged at the 2018 Kosuke Kitajima Cup.

Ikee was not part of the final foursome here in Tokyo, with Suzuka Hasegawa taking her place. The final squad found up taking 3rd place behind winner Kanto Gakuen University. However, the fact Ikee took on twice the distance she has swum to date is a good sign of her overall health.