Rikako Ikee is set to make her race comeback on 29 August at the Tokyo Tatsumi International Swimming Center.
Kyodo News report that sources are claiming that Ikee will compete in the 50m freestyle in what will be her first race since January 2019, a month before the sprint specialist announced she had been diagnosed with leukemia.
Ikee, who won six gold medals at the 2018 Asian Games, will represent Nihon University – where she is a second-year student – in a duel later this month with Chuo University.
Rikako Ikee – Photo Courtesy: Kyodo News/Rikako Ikee
The 20-year-old had initially pencilled in the Japan intercollegiate championships in October for a possible return to competition.
However, as reported by Swimming World last week, the Japanese Swimming Federation announced they were restricting the number of swimmers allowed at any meet to between 32 and 40 competitors which meant Ikee’s comeback could well be brought forward.
This now appears to be the case with the Japanese swimmer set to make her racing return at the meet sanctioned by the Tokyo Swimming Association at the water polo venue for the rescheduled Tokyo 2020 Games.
It means the five-time world junior champion will be able to register a time before the September 11 deadline for applications to enter the more competitive intercollegiate championships the following month.
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Glad to know Rikako Ikee is back?