Leukaemia diagnosis rocks Aussie swimmers
AUSTRALIAN swimmers have been devastated by the shocking news that Japanese teenage sensation Rikako Ikee has been diagnosed with leukaemia and admitted to hospital to have immediate treatment for the disease.
A rising star of the sport, the Gold Coast-based 18-year-old was set to become one of the faces of next year’s Tokyo Olympics after her meteoric rise in the pool, and has been training in Australia with members of the national squad, including Emma McKeon and Maddie Groves.
The swimmers have all formed a close bond and the news of her illness has knocked her Australian training partners for six. “We just couldn’t believe it, everyone is so upset,” Australian highperformance coach Michael Bohl said.
“She’s got such a great nature and all the kids in the squad absolutely love having her around and they’ve become very close, especially with Maddie and Emma because they go out and have breakfast together all the time.
“It’s just a real shock and everyone was emotional when they were given the news so we’re just hoping she can make a full recovery.”
A freestyle and butterfly sprinter, Ikee was expected to carry the hopes of the host nation at next year’s Olympics in the same way Ian Thorpe and Cathy Freeman were feted at the 2000 Sydney Games.
She revealed the terrible news on Twitter, saying she was in “a state of confusion” but vowing to beat the cancer.
News of her illness has rocked Japan, with television stations and newspapers running the story prominently.