Clareto Monsorate

At the age of 20 Japanese swim star Rikako Ikee has already experienced the highs and lows of life.

In 2018 she was named MVP of the Asian Games after claiming six golds and two silvers. But as fate would have it, in 2019, the Tokyo girl was diagnosed with leukaemia and all hell broke loose.

Not one to give up though, Ikee fought her way back and will soon be competing in the women’s 50 metres and 100m freestyle, the 100m butterfly and the non-Olympic 50m butterfly at the April 3-10 nationals in Tokyo.

The event doubles up as a qualifier for this summer’s Tokyo Games.

But to qualify for the mega event in her own backyard Ikee will need to finish in the top two at the nationals and, hold on, also meet the entry time.

Ikee has played down her chances of competing at the games, which are scheduled to open on July 23.

“My goal is to reach the final of every event I have entered at the national championships,” Ikee was quoted as saying in Japanese media.

“How well I do depends on how confident I am every day in training, so I really want to get down to work and train hard for it.”

Ikee said she would enter the championships following her first race win since coming back, in the women’s 50-meter butterfly at last month’s Tokyo Open.

Ikee, whose first race last August since she was diagnosed with leukaemia, became eligible for the national championships after clocking qualifying times for each of her events in competition.