Rikako Ikee failed to qualify for the World Swimming Championships in Budapest

The swimmer Rikako Ikee failed to find a place on the Japanese team for the World Swimming Championships in Budapest. Rikako Ikee, who made a dramatic comeback and competed in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, was diagnosed with leukemia in February 2019.

She failed to meet the qualifying standards for the June and July World Championships in Budapest.

Rikako Ikee won the Japanese 100m butterfly title on Saturday with a time of 57.89 sec, but that was not enough to secure a quota for the Hungarian championship. She also won the 100m freestyle, but the achievement was not enough to qualify for the World Championships.

“My goal was not to cry – whether I win or lose”, said Rikako Ikee after the race.

Rikako Ikee is a Japanese competitive swimmer. She is the national record holder in the 50-meter freestyle and the 100-meter butterfly, and the junior world record holder in the 50-meter freestyle and 50-meter butterfly long-course events, and the 50- and 100-meter butterfly, and 100-meter individual medley in short course. At the 2018 Asian Games, she won six gold and two silver medals, also becoming the first female athlete to win the Most Valuable Player award at the Asian Games.