Rikako Ikee Books Spot At Olympic Trials; Plays Down Hopes For Making Tokyo 2020 Team<\/strong><\/p>\n

Rikako Ikee<\/strong>, the six-time 2018 Asian Games champion, booked her spot at April’s Olympic qualification meet after dipping inside the required standard at the Kosuke Kitatjima<\/strong> Cup<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The 20-year-old made public she had been diagnosed with leukemia in February 2019 and spent much of that year receiving treatment in hospital before being discharged in December.<\/p>\n

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Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick<\/p><\/div>\n
On Saturday, she posted 56.16 in the heats at the Tokyo Tatsumi International Swimming Centre<\/strong>, well within the entry standard of 56.53 for the national championships.<\/p>\n
Ikee lowered her time to 55.35 to place fourth in the final with Natsumi Sakai<\/strong> stopping the clock first at 54.48.<\/p>\n
There were mixed feelings for the five-time world junior champion who told reporters:<\/p>\n
“I wanted to qualify for the nationals and I’m glad that I did but I finished fourth again. It’s really frustrating.<\/p>\n
“I wasn’t too fast or too slow. It’s not a bad time for the year’s first race but this event is personal to me because I set the Japanese record (of 52.79) in 2018.<\/p>\n
“I’m happy though that I was able to compete in the 100 free at this meet. It’s a tough loss but I can only get better from here.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
She insisted her aim was not on the Tokyo Games<\/a>, around which speculation swirls because of the pandemic, but rather a focus on each stepping stone, saying:<\/p>\n
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“This was a painful reminder that competition is unforgiving.<\/p>\n
“It’s not about my aiming for the Tokyo Olympics, but focusing on the task at hand, calmly putting in the work in practice.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n
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