Ikee Rikako upbeat one year after cancer diagnosis.
Six-time Asian Games gold medallist shares photos of gym workout as she continues recovery from leukaemia.
Swimming
Ikee Rikako has posted photos of herself working out in the gym on Saturday (8 February), exactly one year after she was diagnosed with leukaemia.
The 19-year-old had been tipped to be one of the stars of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games after winning six golds at the 2018 Asian Games.
Now after chemotherapy, the teenager is taking her first small steps on her way back to competitive swimming.
Although she went public with her cancer diagnosis on 12 February last year, Ikee said on an Instagram post that, "In fact, it was discovered one year ago today on 8 February.
"I look back and see how much has happened in that year, how everything makes sense and how my next step is to move forward!" - Ikee Rikako on Instagram
Back in the gym
In December, after her release from hospital, Ikee stated her goal was to win a medal at the Paris 2024 Games.
On the anniversary of her diagnosis, she went to the hospital gym for "a little light training".
And she knows she has plenty of work to do to regain the muscle she lost while she was undergoing treatment.
Ikee said, "I really felt how much my muscles had weakened. I'm looking forward to seeing how my body changes from now on."