Editorial content for the 2023 World Aquatics Championships is sponsored by FINIS, a longtime partner of Swimming World and leading innovator of suits, goggles and equipment. World Championships: Rikako Ikee to Make Inspiring Return to Individual Racing Four years ago, the last time the World Championships were held in their typical late July slot, the medalists in the women’s 100 butterfly stepped onto the podium with a touching message. The medalists, Canada’s Maggie Mac Neil, Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom and Australia’s Emma McKeon, wrote messages on their hands to Japanese rival Rikako Ikee, sending their love and imploring her to “never give up.” Ikee, then 19, had been a rising force in women’s swimming over the previous few years. She was an Olympic finalist at age 16, and in 2018, she won gold in the 100 fly at the Pan Pacific Championships and silver in the 200 freestyle, beating Katie Ledecky in the process, before earning four individual gold medals at the Asian Games. But in early 2019, Ikee was hit with an earth-shattering diagnosis: after departing early from a training camp in Australia where she had dealt with extreme fatigue, Ikee learned that she had leukemia. The teenager had to show immense bravery and toughness as she took on the life-threatening disease, spending months in the hospital before her discharge in December. Her swimming career was, of course, secondary during treatment, but she finally returned to the pool in March 2020. “I finally got permission from the doctor to go to the pool. 406 days! I can’t begin to describe how happy I am and how good I feel. I’m so fortunate,” Ikee said at the time. Emma McKeon, Maggie Ma c Neil and Sarah Sjostrom recognizing Rikako Ikee at the 2019 World Championships — Photo Courtesy: Becca Wyant Ikee originally doubted she would be able to return to form in time to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics, but the one-year delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic allowed her enough time to build back up and qualify to swim relays at the Games. In late July 2021, just 28 months after her life-changing diagnosis, Ikee swam the butterfly leg for Japan’s 400 medley relay in an Olympic final. Now, with international competition returning to Japan for the World Championships in Fukuoka, Ikee will be back racing a full lineup of four individual events, the 50 and 100 free and the 50 and 100 fly. After qualifying for Worlds in her first event, Ikee said, “I know I don’t stand a chance against the world right now. But this is a huge step for me in getting there. I want to really pick it up from here.” Well, if Ikee can replicate her times from the Japanese Championships in April, she will likely qualify for the semifinals in most or all of her events. Slight drops in three races could put her into the mix for finals, and in the 50 fly, her season-best time of 25.59 (ranked seventh in the world) is not far off what it would take to win a medal. Whatever the outcome, it will be cause for celebration when Ikee mounts the block Sunday morning in Fukuoka for her first swim of the meet. If she can qualify for a final, every person inside Marine Messe Fukuoka, including her competitors, will be happy for her. This year’s Worlds will take place only 370 kilometers (230 miles) away from Gwangju, the site of the 2019 Worlds where the 100 fly medalists felt compelled to send a message to Ikee as she fought for her health. Ikee wrote in a May 2020 Instagram post, “It’s a miracle I’m alive. Just being here is a miracle in itself.” Even if she has not yet returned to her swimming peak, think how far Ikee has come since then, her return one of the most heartwarming stories in the sport. The last few major international competitions have not been prolific meets for Japan, with the country’s swimmers earning only three medals at the Tokyo Olympics and four at last year’s World Championships. However, there will be numerous chances, particularly on the men’s side, for the home country to reach the podium in Fukuoka. Tomoru Honda — Photo Courtesy: Mine Kasapoglu/ISL Tomoru Honda will have a strong chance to win gold in the men’s 200 butterfly. Honda was the silver-medal winner at the Olympics and bronze medalist at last year’s worlds, but world-record holder Kristof Milak will be absent from the field this year. Late last year, Honda broke the short course world record in the 200 fly, and he moved into a tie for fourth all-time in long course with a mark of 1:52.70. Japan is always a force in the 200 breaststroke, so much that last year’s co-World Championships silver medalist, Yu Hanaguruma, did not even qualify for Worlds as former world-record holder Ippei Watanabe (2:07.73) and Shoma Sato (2:08.21) each posted strong performances at the Japanese Championships. Naoki Mizunuma was the 100 fly silver medalist at last year’s Worlds, and veteran freestyler Katsuhiro Matsumoto has a shot at returning to the Worlds podium after he broke 1:45 in the 200 free earlier this year. And you can never count out Daiya Seto, the winner of four individual world titles over his long and distinguished career. Seto currently ranks second in the world in the 400 IM (4:07.92) and fifth in the 200 IM (1:56.62). On the women’s side, veteran Reona Aoki could threaten in the 100 breast while 16-year-old Mio Narita has a very good chance of breaking through to her first senior-level final, particularly in the 400 IM. Narita was the gold medalist in both races at last year’s Junior Pan Pacific Championships. We also cannot forget about Yui Ohashi, the gold medalist in both individual medley events in Tokyo. Now 27, Ohashi will race only the 200-meter event this time.
Japanese Medal Hopes
