Ikee Rikako's fighting for her Olympic Happy End: ' I want to be No. 1 in the world'
Ikee Rikako and fleas generally don’t belong in the same sentence, but here we are.
“Fleas in a jar start to jump only as high as the lid even when you take off the lid,” Ikee told reporters earlier this month in Niigata Prefecture, where the two-time Olympian prepped for the Paris 2024 Japanese swimming trials in Tokyo.
“But eventually when one of them jumps out, from what I understand, the others follow. I felt like I could jump higher if I had to try to keep up with everyone else. When you have to chase someone, it fires you up.
“I wanted to be a flea.”
Ikee Rikako: 'I want to be No. 1 in the world'
Ikee spoke after returning to Japan on 7 March from Australia, her new training base. She is swimming under Michael Bohl, the coaching guru who has shepherded Olympians like Emma McKeon, Kaylee McKeown and Stephanie Rice to the top of the podium.
Ikee hopes to follow in their footsteps, which is the singular reason the 23-year-old moved Down Under. At these trials, she is throwing her hat into the ring in the 50m and 100m freestyle and the 100m butterfly.
Ikee is the Japan record-holder in all three races. In order to secure a spot at Paris 2024, she must finish in the top two while meeting the respective qualifying times - 24.55 in the 50m free, 53.12 in the 100m free and 57.34 in the 100m fly.
The Japanese Olympic trials are widely regarded to be among the toughest in the world - too tough by some. For Tokyo 2020, Ikee miraculously made the cut in the relays two years after beating leukemia but came up short in the individual events.
This time around, Ikee offers a completely different proposition. While she was still in the process of trying to regain her body three years ago, the 2018 Asian Games MVP now simply trains to swim faster minus the health concerns.
Since relocating to Australia, Ikee says she has taken 0.2 off her time in the first 15m alone and has put on almost 3kg - not to mention the added confidence from being in the regular company of past and present Olympic champions.
“If I swim the way I’m capable of swimming, I should not lose,” she said. “These last few months, I’ve experienced a lot and overcome a lot by training as hard as I can.
“I want to be strong again, I want to be fast again. I want to be No. 1 in the world which is why I went to Australia.
“I received some meticulous advice on my start and my time over the first 15m is a lot faster now. I hit the weight room to build up my body. I’m constantly thinking about how to swim faster, easier.”
After surviving cancer and upon returning to competition, Ikee stated her goal was to be back on the Olympic stage in Paris although she would surprise herself by qualifying for her home Games.
Now, more than five years after being diagnosed with leukemia, Ikee is on the cusp of achieving what she initially set out to achieve - and is locked in.
“I have every intention of going to Paris. My goal isn’t to meet the time here. I’ve been working towards something higher. I want people to look forward to it," she said.
“I want to go to Paris no matter what. I don’t know about a PB, but I’m excited.”