Swimmer Rikako Ikee, 20, posted a message to the public on her Instagram account on Monday, exactly two years after being diagnosed with leukemia.
"The day I was pushed to the lowest point in my life. I will never forget that day," she wrote in a post accompanied by a photo of herself smiling after she had been sobbing upon receiving her diagnosis.
"The message I [would] want to convey to myself two years ago is, 'You'll be wearing more smiles in a couple of years," she continued "You've done well to get here!"
Ikee, a sophomore at Nihon University, competed Sunday in the 50-meter freestyle at the Japan Open, at which many of the country's top athletes participated. She finished second in 24.91 seconds, a record for a university student. It was her first podium finish since returning after the leukemia diagnoses in the summer last year.
Ikee's time was her best since her return to competition, putting her into the final as the top qualifier, and she was 0.15 seconds faster than her best heat finish in the finale.
Said Ikee after the race: "I was able to get very close to my personal best. I'd like to improve even more moving forward."
Ikee holds the national record of 24.21 in this event.
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
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