Swimmer Rikako Ikee, 20, a junior at Nihon University who after recovering from leukemia earned a place on the national team for the Tokyo Olympics, attended a send-off party of the university's swim team in Tokyo on Saturday.
Ikee expressed her determination to compete hard in front of about 120 members of the school's swimming club, saying, "I want to do my best so that I can prove in the competitions that Rikako Ikee has returned to the world [stage]."
She attended the event with four other students from the university who have also been selected to compete for Japan at the upcoming Olympics.
Ikee, who participated in the national team's training camp for the first time in three years immediately before the event, said: "I felt a generational change. I want to be a swimmer who inspires younger athletes to follow in my footsteps."
Regarding the Games, which are set to open in about three months, Ikee said: "I'm sure other athletes are surprised by my being selected [as an Olympic team member], but I'm confident that I can become even faster over the next few months. I hope I can swim a dominant race."
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