{"id":438066,"date":"2020-07-01T03:42:42","date_gmt":"2020-07-01T10:42:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=438066"},"modified":"2024-10-28T11:26:21","modified_gmt":"2024-10-28T18:26:21","slug":"rikako-ikee-set-for-tokyo-2020-olympics-countdown-special-as-smiling-face-of-home-games","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/rikako-ikee-set-for-tokyo-2020-olympics-countdown-special-as-smiling-face-of-home-games\/","title":{"rendered":"Rikako Ikee Set For Tokyo 2020 Olympics Countdown Special As Smiling Face Of Home Games"},"content":{"rendered":"

Rikako Ikee<\/strong>, the Japanese swimming ace who has her sights set on the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris after recovering from leukemia, is to feature in a one-year Tokyo Olympic countdown event, according to a source speaking to Kyodo News<\/em> in Japan.<\/p>\n

The 19-year-old is expected to address Olympic athletes in a keynote speech in the July 23 closed-door event at the National Stadium, the main venue for the sporting extravaganza, the source said.<\/p>\n

The news comes as Rikako Ikee, who would have been one of the Poster Girls in action her home Olympic Games<\/a> had illness not intervened, thanked one of her sponsors, SK-II<\/strong><\/a>, the Japanese cosmetics firm, for a photo shoot showing the swimmer in beautiful new light at the dawn of a new day in her life.<\/p>\n

Now in rehabilitation following treatment for leukemia, Ikee is captured smiling under short hair growing back, her strength returning, her first swim in the vault of delightful experience she has expressed her gratitude for<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Ikee shared some of the lovely shots with her 340,000 Instagram followers:<\/p>\n

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View this post on Instagram<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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A post shared by Rikako Ikee (@ikee.rikako)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n