Japan’s Rikako Ikee Says LA 2028 Will Be Her Final Olympic Games

Japan’s Rikako Ikee has already represented her nation at three Olympic Games, beginning at the 2016 edition when she was just 16 years of age.

The sprint ace placed 5th in the 100m fly in Rio, and was a key member on the Japanese women’s medley, freestyle and mixed medley relays at both the 2020 and 2024 Games.

As she gears up for the new Olympic quad, aiming at an appearance in Los Angeles in 2028, Ikee says she’ll continue to train in Australia, where she has been based since October 2023.

Additionally, Ikee says that the 2028 Games will indeed be her last.

Speaking with Japan News earlier this month, Ikee stated, “I want to finish with results that make me feel I have done my best in my swimming career.

“I have decided to retire no matter how I do. I want people who support me to think, “She did her best,” not only in the 50-meter butterfly, but also in the 100-meter race.

“I only have a few years left, with only so many competitions. I need to deal with it and cherish it more.”

Ikee is yet another swimmer who will benefit from the fact that the LA Games will include stroke 50s, with the 50m butterfly signifying one of her top events. She currently ranks 4th in the world on the season.

“Looking at my time in the 50-meter butterfly (25.41 seconds) at the Japan championships in March, I think I might have a chance for a first medal. It’s just a matter of doing it. I have to keep building up year by year in the three years up to the Los Angeles Olympics. I think it also is important for me to enjoy swimming this year.”

In her Japan News interview, Ikee also reflected on her journey battling leukemia, the disease with which she was diagnosed in early 2019 after having been named the first-ever female MVP of the Asian Games just months earlier. She announced she was officially in remission in September of 2024.

“I was sure everything was fine because I felt good, but every time I went for my annual checkup, I thought, ‘Please don’t let it come back,” Ikee said candidly.

“Even after returning to competition, it was tough. I had to face the reality that went from No. 1 in the world to being unable to swim.

“Why me? What did I do wrong? That’s all I could think of. There was a time when I couldn’t perform well, and I looked for flaws and said only negative things. Now I have changed to a positive mindset.”