 |
|
| Rikako
IKEE |
| Sport |
Swimming |
| NOC |
Japan
|
| Gender | Women |
| Born | 04 Jul 2000
in Tokyo, JPN |
| Height | 1.71 m |
|
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|
|
|
Sport Specific Information |
Club / Team |
Renaissance: Japan |
Why this sport? |
She was encouraged by her older brother and sister. |
General Interest |
Ambitions |
To win a medal at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. (hochi.news,07 Jan 2023) |
Awards and honours |
She was given the Swimmer of the Year Award at the 2018 Japan Aquatics Awards. (swimswam.com, 28 Jan 2019; bbm-japan.com, 29 Jan 2019)
She received a Special Award at the 68th Japan Sports Awards in 2018. (msn.com, 14 Dec 2018)
She was Japan's flag bearer at the closing ceremony of the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia. (swimmingworldmagazine.com, 03 Sep 2018)
She was named Most Valuable Player [MVP] at the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia by the Olympic Council of Asia [OCA]. (swimswam.com, 02 Sep 2018)
She was given an Excellence Award and Arena Sprint Award at the 2017 Japan Aquatic Awards. (tobiuojapan.org, 23 Jan 2018)
She received Big Sports Award at the 2017 TV Asahi Big Sports Awards in Japan. (sportsbull.jp, 12 Jan 2018)
She was awarded the FINA Trophy for the Best Female Swimmer at the 2017 World Junior Championships in Indianapolis, IN, United States of America. (fina.org, 29 Aug 2017) |
Sport Specific Information |
When and where did you begin this sport? |
She began the sport at age three. |
International Debut |
Year |
2014 |
Competing for |
Japan |
Tournament |
World Cup |
Location |
Tokyo, JPN |
Further Personal Information |
Languages |
English, Japanese |
General Interest |
Injuries |
She sustained pain in her left shoulder and ankle in 2017. (hochi.co.jp, 26 Jul 2017) |
Hero / Idol |
Japanese swimmer Kosuke Hagino. (s-re.jp, 2014) |
Sporting philosophy / motto |
"Keep it up." (Twitter profile, 13 Feb 2019) |
Further Personal Information |
Residence |
Tokyo, JPN |
General Interest |
Other information |
OVERCOMING ILLNESS
She was diagnosed with leukaemia in February 2019. She spent time away from the sport to receive treatment and was discharged from hospital in December 2019. She resumed pool training seriously in May 2020, and returned to competitive action at the Tokyo Special Swimming Tournament in August 2020. Despite her claims that she was aiming for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, she went on to compete in relay events at the 2020 Games in Tokyo. "Really a lot of things happened over the past five years and the Tokyo Olympics was something that I gave up on at one point. But I feel really happy to have been able to swim as a relay member in the final [of the women's 4x100m medley relay]. One year ago [speaking in 2021], I did start swimming but I wasn't participating in any competitions. I didn't even think I'd be here at a world competition and as a representative of my country and as a representative who has overcome illness. Being back here I felt again that I want to be a person who can inspire others." (japantimes.co.jp, 05 Jun 2019; rikako-ikee.jp, 17 Mar 2020; nikkansports.com, 08 Feb 2020, 19 Feb 2020; Instagram profile, 08 Feb 2020; asahi.com, 02 Jul 2020; olympics.nbcsports.com, 02 Jul 2020; daily.co.jp, 29 Aug 2020; olympicchannel.com, 04 Apr 2021; swimswam.com, 04 Apr 2021; kkt.jp, 08 Jan 2022; swimmingworldmagazine.com, 03 Aug 2021)
MESSAGE OF HOPE
In July 2020 she was featured in a video that marked the one-year countdown to the postponed 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. Ikee stood in an empty National Stadium holding the Olympic flame and delivered a message comparing the difficulties of dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic with her own battle with cancer. "Think of the coming year, not simply as a one-year postponement, but as a plus one. To overcome adversity, what we need most is hope - a flame of hope glowing in the distance allows us to keep trying, to keep moving forward no matter how hard it is." (tokyo2020.org, 24 Jul 2020; insidethegames.biz, 23 Jul 2020) |
Milestones |
She is the first swimmer, male or female, to win six gold medals at a single edition of the Asian Games. She claimed victory in two relay events and four individual events at the 2018 Games in Indonesia. She also became the first female athlete from any sport to win six gold medals at a single edition of the Asian Games. (SportsDeskOnline, 31 Aug 2018; reuters.com, 25 Aug 2018) |
Further Personal Information |
Higher education |
Sports Science - Nihon University : Tokyo, JPN |
General Interest |
Hobbies |
Colouring books, puzzles, watching films. (rikako-ikee.jp, 13 Jun 2019) |
Sport Specific Information |
Name of coach |
Isamu Nishizaki [club], JPN |
Olympic Games |
| Rank |
Year |
Venue |
Event |
Result |
| Heats |
2021 |
Tokyo, JPN |
4 x 100m Freestyle Relay |
|
| 9 |
2021 |
Tokyo, JPN |
4 x 100m Medley Relay |
3:44.15 |
| 8 |
2021 |
Tokyo, JPN |
4 x 100m Medley Relay |
3:58.12 |
| Semifinal |
2016 |
Rio de Janeiro, BRA |
100m Freestyle |
54.31 |
| 5 |
2016 |
Rio de Janeiro, BRA |
100m Butterfly |
56.86 |
| Heats |
2016 |
Rio de Janeiro, BRA |
50m Freestyle |
25.45 |
| Heats |
2016 |
Rio de Janeiro, BRA |
200m Freestyle |
1:58.49 |
| 8 |
2016 |
Rio de Janeiro, BRA |
4 x 100m Freestyle Relay |
3:37.78 |
| 8 |
2016 |
Rio de Janeiro, BRA |
4 x 200m Freestyle Relay |
7:56.76 |
| Heats |
2016 |
Rio de Janeiro, BRA |
4 x 100m Medley Relay |
|
World Championships |
| Rank |
Year |
Venue |
Event |
Result |
| Heats |
2023 |
Fukuoka, JPN |
100m Butterfly |
58.61 |
| 7 |
2023 |
Fukuoka, JPN |
50m Butterfly |
25.78 |
| 15 |
2023 |
Fukuoka, JPN |
100m Freestyle |
54.86 |
| Heats |
2023 |
Fukuoka, JPN |
50m Freestyle |
25.27 |
| 6 |
2023 |
Fukuoka, JPN |
4 x 100m Medley Relay |
|
| 8 |
2023 |
Fukuoka, JPN |
4 x 100m Freestyle Relay |
3:38.61 |
| 7 |
2023 |
Fukuoka, JPN |
4 x 100m Medley Relay |
3:45.33 |
| 6 |
2017 |
Budapest, HUN |
100m Butterfly |
57.08 |
| Semifinal |
2017 |
Budapest, HUN |
50m Butterfly |
25.90 |
| Semifinal |
2017 |
Budapest, HUN |
50m Freestyle |
24.84 |
| Heats |
2017 |
Budapest, HUN |
100m Freestyle |
54.91 |
| 7 |
2017 |
Budapest, HUN |
4 x 100m Freestyle Relay |
|
| 5 |
2017 |
Budapest, HUN |
4 x 200m Freestyle Relay |
7:50.43 |
| 4 |
2017 |
Budapest, HUN |
4 x 100m Freestyle Relay |
3:24.78 |
| Heats |
2015 |
Kazan, RUS |
50m Butterfly |
26.66 |
| Heats |
2015 |
Kazan, RUS |
4 x 100m Freestyle Relay |
3:28.54 |
| Heats |
2015 |
Kazan, RUS |
4 x 100m Freestyle Relay |
3:38.47 |
| 7 |
2015 |
Kazan, RUS |
4 x 200m Freestyle Relay |
7:54.62 |
World Championships Short Course |
| Rank |
Year |
Venue |
Event |
Result |
| 3 |
2016 |
Windsor, ON, CAN |
100m Butterfly |
55.64 |
| 5 |
2016 |
Windsor, ON, CAN |
4 x 200m Freestyle Relay |
7:41.97 |
| 4 |
2016 |
Windsor, ON, CAN |
100m Freestyle |
52.12 |
| 3 |
2016 |
Windsor, ON, CAN |
50m Butterfly |
25.32 |
| 13 |
2016 |
Windsor, ON, CAN |
50m Freestyle |
24.42 |
| 5 |
2016 |
Windsor, ON, CAN |
4 x 100m Freestyle Relay |
3:34.09 |
| 5 |
2016 |
Windsor, ON, CAN |
4 x 50m Freestyle Relay |
1:30.95 |
| 3 |
2016 |
Windsor, ON, CAN |
4 x 50m Medley Relay |
1:38.45 |
World Cup |
| Rank |
Year |
Venue |
Event |
Result |
| 21 |
2018 |
|
Overall Ranking |
|
| 1 |
2018 |
Tokyo, JPN |
100m Butterfly |
55.31 |
| 3 |
2018 |
Tokyo, JPN |
100m Individual Medley |
58.17 |
| 3 |
2018 |
Tokyo, JPN |
50m Butterfly |
24.80 |
| 19 |
2017 |
|
Overall |
|
| 2 |
2017 |
Tokyo, JPN |
100m Butterfly |
55.99 |
| 8 |
2017 |
Tokyo, JPN |
50m Backstroke |
27.02 |
| 2 |
2017 |
Tokyo, JPN |
100m Individual Medley |
57.75 |
| 3 |
2017 |
Tokyo, JPN |
50m Butterfly |
25.14 |
| 4 |
2016 |
Tokyo, JPN |
100m Butterfly |
56.42 |
| 6 |
2016 |
Tokyo, JPN |
50m Freestyle |
24.61 |
| 3 |
2016 |
Tokyo, JPN |
100m Freestyle |
52.39 |
| 2 |
2016 |
Tokyo, JPN |
100m Individual Medley |
58.24 |
| 2 |
2016 |
Tokyo, JPN |
50m Butterfly |
25.73 |
| 7 |
2014 |
Tokyo, JPN |
50m Freestyle |
24.92 |
| 7 |
2014 |
Tokyo, JPN |
100m Freestyle |
53.86 |
| 5 |
2014 |
Tokyo, JPN |
50m Butterfly |
26.25 |
Asian Championships |
| Rank |
Year |
Venue |
Event |
Result |
| 1 |
2016 |
Tokyo, JPN |
100m Butterfly |
57.46 |
| 2 |
2016 |
Tokyo, JPN |
100m Freestyle |
53.68 |
| 1 |
2016 |
Tokyo, JPN |
50m Butterfly |
25.74 |
| 1 |
2016 |
Tokyo, JPN |
50m Freestyle |
24.90 |
| 2 |
2016 |
Tokyo, JPN |
4 x 100m Freestyle Relay |
3:37.71 |
| 1 |
2016 |
Tokyo, JPN |
4 x 100m Medley Relay |
3:57.97 |
| 2 |
2016 |
Tokyo, JPN |
4 x 200m Freestyle Relay |
7:58.07 |
Asian Games |
| Rank |
Year |
Venue |
Event |
Result |
| Heats |
2023 |
Hangzhou, CHN |
100m Freestyle |
DNS |
| 5 |
2023 |
Hangzhou, CHN |
100m Butterfly |
58.98 |
| 10 |
2023 |
Hangzhou, CHN |
50m Freestyle |
25.68 |
| 3 |
2023 |
Hangzhou, CHN |
50m Butterfly |
26.02 |
| 2 |
2023 |
Hangzhou, CHN |
4 x 100m Freestyle Relay |
3:38.48 |
| 1 |
2018 |
Jakarta, INA |
50m Butterfly |
25.55 |
| 1 |
2018 |
Jakarta, INA |
100m Butterfly |
56.30 |
| 1 |
2018 |
Jakarta, INA |
100m Freestyle |
53.27 |
| 1 |
2018 |
Jakarta, INA |
50m Freestyle |
24.53 |
| 1 |
2018 |
Jakarta, INA |
4 x 100m Freestyle Relay |
3:36.52 |
| 2 |
2018 |
Jakarta, INA |
4 x 200m Freestyle Relay |
7:53.83 |
| 1 |
2018 |
Jakarta, INA |
4 x 100m Medley Relay |
3:54.73 |
| 2 |
2018 |
Jakarta, INA |
4 x 100m Medley Relay |
3:41.21 |
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