This afternoon Beijing time, Japanese swimming star Ikee Rihanako won the women's 100-meter butterfly championship at the 97th Japan National Swimming Championships and Olympic Trials, and her winning time was 57.77 seconds, reaching the Olympic A standard of 57.92 seconds. Although this result did not meet the Japan Swimming Association's standard of 57 seconds 10 seconds for the women's 100 butterfly single Olympic dispatch standard, it did meet the criteria for the women's 4x100m medley relay. As a result, Ikee will at least lock in a spot for the Tokyo Olympics as a women's 4x100m medley relay, and she has fulfilled her dream of competing in the Olympics on her home soil. At present, the Tokyo Olympic Games are still advancing according to the official opening of July 23 this year, and Ikee Rihanako, who has returned from leukemia, also has the possibility of going to the Olympic arena to create miracles.
January 11 this year is Japan's "Adult Day", and the Japanese swimmer Irie Rihanako, who will turn 20 this year, posted a group of photos of herself wearing a kimono on social platforms to commemorate her official joining the ranks of adults. Although due to the impact of the epidemic, japan did not organize the lively coming-of-age ceremony in the past, but for this special festival, Ikee Rihanako still can't help but sigh, "Today, I can safely spend the adult day, and a year ago, I encountered a situation that I never thought before." As a new adult, I will strive to become a person with a high degree of consciousness, a strong athlete. ”
Although she has just entered the ranks of adults, Ikee Rihanako, who was born on July 4, 2000, has actually created a tortuous but inspiring life experience. As the most outstanding "gifted girl" in the Japanese swimming world since the 21st century, Rihanako Ikee participated in the National Championships in Japan at the age of 14 and successfully qualified for the World Swimming Championships, becoming the first middle school student in Japan to qualify for the World Championships in 15 years. At the 2016 Rio Olympics, Ikee Lihanako ushered in her first Olympic journey, participating in 4 individual events and 3 relay events, a total of 7 competitions, although the then 16-year-old Chi Jiang did not have enough strength to win a medal, but this rising swimming star still attracted more and more attention.
At the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, it became a stage for Ikee Torihanako to complete the transformation from a rising star to a superstar, winning all 4 individual events, a total of 6 gold and 2 silver, Ikee Ryoko became the first swimmer to win six gold medals at the Asian Games, and was selected by the Asian Olympic Council as the most valuable athlete of that Asian Games, and she was also the first female athlete to receive this honor. Since then, how much energy can the "post-00s" swimming rookie still burst out, and what kind of results she will create in the Olympic arena in 2020 as a host has become one of the most concerned expectations in the international swimming world.
However, the unexpected blow came suddenly in early 2019, and on February 12, 2019, Ikee Lihanako revealed on her personal social platform that she was diagnosed with leukemia and would suspend her participation in swimming competitions in the future to concentrate on recuperation. From that moment on, the Japanese girl's battlefield shifted from the pool to the ward, and the opponents she needed to defeat went from a record waiting to be broken to a potentially life-threatening disease at any time. However, as in the pool, in the face of sudden pain, Ikee Rihanako still showed an optimistic attitude and extraordinary perseverance, and in the difficult treatment process, the Japanese girl who was not yet 20 years old not only did her best to keep smiling, but also encouraged people who were also struggling with the pain by sharing her treatment.
Finally, on December 17, 2019, after 10 months of treatment, Ikee Washiko was discharged from the hospital. After winning the war against the disease, the Japanese girl was finally able to return to the pool again and unleash her talents on this once-familiar stage, and the experience of being reborn after a major blow also made Ikee The best spokesperson for the Tokyo Olympics affected by the new crown pneumonia epidemic.
On July 23, 2020, the tokyo Olympic Games, which was postponed for one year, celebrated the countdown to the first anniversary, and Irie Rihanako held the Olympic torch lamp in her hand at the Tokyo New National Stadium, showing the world the courage to overcome difficulties and the hope of welcoming new life.
A month later, Ikee made her comeback at the Tokyo Special Swimming Festival, and after 594 days of leaving the pool, she finally returned to the familiar blue waves. Although the achievements are still a long way from the peak of the individual, but with the experience of overcoming the disease in the past two years, Ikee Rihanako does not lack the courage to face the difficulties and start from the beginning, and also has the perseverance to challenge the limit and break through herself.
Originally, Ikee Rihanako set her comeback as a shock to the 2024 Paris Olympics, but now the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics has given her renewed hope of participating in the Olympics at her doorstep. From being diagnosed with leukemia in February 2019 to now qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics, Ikee Hashanako has written an inspirational Olympic story with her courage and perseverance. Next, Rihanako Ikee will also compete in the 50m, 100m freestyle and non-Olympic 50m butterfly at the Japan National Swimming Championships and Olympic Trials, and she still has the hope of qualifying for the Olympic Games in her individual event.