Rikako Ikee diagnosed with leukaemia after poster girl of Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games ‘felt ill’

The 18-year-old has withdrawn from this year’s worlch championships to undergo treatment after returning from an Australian training camp to discover she had leukaemia

Rikako Ikee, the poster girl of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, has revealed that she has been diagnosed with leukaemia.

The 18-year-old Japanese swimmer was considered a strong medal favourite for the next Olympic Games after starring at youth level for the last four years.

But having been crowned Japanese Swimmer of the Year just last month after winning six titles at last year’s Asian Games in Jakarta, Ikee sought medical treatment after falling unwell during a three-week training camp in Australia at the start of the month, only to discover that she had leukaemia.

"I was feeling ill and urgently came home from Australia, underwent testing and the diagnosis was leukaemia," Ikee wrote on Twitter.

"I can't believe it, it's a confusing situation. But with treatment this is a disease that can be cured."

Ikee has decided to withdraw from Japan’s swimming trials this year to focus on her treatment, and she will also miss the senior world championships in Gwangju, South Korea, in July.

Only North Korean shooter So Gin Man, who won seven golds and a silver at New Delhi in 1982, has won more titles at one Asian Games than Tokyo-born Ikee.

Her gold medal haul was the most for a female athlete at a single Asian Games, and she also picked up two relay silvers to match So's record tally of eight medals.

Winning all six of her gold medals in record times in Jakarta propelled her onto the world stage and made her a major name in Japan.

Rikako Ikee has revealed that she's been diagnosed with leukaemia (Reuters)

Coming home sixth in the 100m butterfly at the Rio Games as a 16-year-old, Ikee had been expected to compete for medals at Tokyo 2020 but must now focus on getting healthy before thoughts turn to the summer showpiece in 528 days' time.

Additional reporting by Reuters