[취재파일] Participation in the miracle Tokyo Olympics thanks to Corona 19

The global sports world has been hit hard by Corona 19. Not only are there astronomical monetary damages, but there are a number of players who suffered great losses due to delays or cancellations of many competitions. Ironically, however, thanks to Corona 19, there is a player who miraculously competed in the Tokyo Olympics, which is becoming a hot topic.

It is Japanese swimming star Rikako Ike. Ikee won gold medals in both freestyle 50m and 100m, relay 400m, medley 400m, butterfly 50m and 100m during the 2018 Jakarta Palembang Asian Games at the age of 18. You were selected as the best player (MVP).

The Japanese sports world was excited when the most crowning female players in Asian Games history came out. As a prospect of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, it has begun to be in the limelight of the media. Ikee himself did not hide his will to win the gold medal at the Olympics in his country.

However, in February 2019, six months after the Asian Games ended, Ikee was diagnosed with leukemia, such as a blue sky. After that, I was hospitalized for 10 months, and even after I was discharged in December of that year, I took antiviral drugs every day and received outpatient treatment every 6 weeks, so I lost up to 15 kg of weight at one time.

Ikee himself, as well as the Japanese sports world, was dark in front of me. It was because a body undergoing leukemia treatment made it impossible to participate in the Tokyo Olympics so desired. Ikee announced his goal of preparing for the 2024 Olympics in Paris, but there was no way to soothe his regret that he was not allowed to attend the Tokyo Olympics.

However, due to the global spread of Corona 19, the Tokyo Olympics were postponed for one year, setting a moment for a dramatic reversal. When the one-year postponement of the Tokyo Olympics was decided in late March last year, Ikee began training in earnest with new hope from May.

Ikee, who made her first comeback in August 2020, has shrunk the record surprisingly every time he played. He recovered so quickly that he was unbelievable that he was treated for leukemia. At the Japan Swimming Open Women’s 50m Butterfly held on February 21st, they won the championship for the first time since returning to a record of 25 seconds 77. The women’s 50m butterfly is not an Olympic sport, but her record was fourth in the world this year.

Ikee finally gained confidence and took the touch pad in 57 seconds 77 in the women’s 100m butterfly final, held at the Aquatics Center, the Tokyo Olympics swimming stadium on the 4th. This record did not meet the Olympic participation standard (57 seconds 10) for this sport set by the Japan Swimming Federation, but exceeded the 400m medley relay selection criteria (57 seconds 92) and got a ticket for the Tokyo Olympics.

Immediately after winning Ikee, “I felt that even though it was very painful and hard, if I tried hard, I felt that there would be rewards for sure” and “I am very happy now” in tears. Two years ago, Ikee, who suffered from losing her hair with an anticancer drug, said, “I wanted to be able to swim quickly (again), and I wanted to become stronger, so I was able to come here early.” I gave and said. Ikee is planning to compete in the 50m and 100m freestyle and 50m butterfly strokes that are not Olympic events at the Japan Swimming Championships, which will continue until the 10th.

In a word, Ikee’s participation in the Tokyo Olympics is a miracle. It is not easy to expect a medal at the Tokyo Olympics, which kicks off on July 23, as it is still far from the record in her heyday, but her superhuman will to overcome leukemia in the shortest period of time to regain her skills to win Olympic tickets so quickly. Became the decisive force. It was certainly fortunate for her that the Olympics had been postponed for a year due to Corona 19. It reminds me that true luck comes to someone who is prepared ahead of time.

(Photo = Sina Sports)