There was always going to be some drama surrounding Rikako Ikee's return to Japan's national swimming championships this past week as she battled back from leukemia treatment.
But winning four events and earning an unexpected place on Japan's Olympic team just 26 months after her diagnosis has changed the storyline. Ikee began her comeback as a symbol of hope. She left the nationals as a conqueror — at a time when the coronavirus had seemingly decimated hope.
On July 23, 2020, with one year to go before the scheduled opening of this summer's Olympics, Ikee spoke at Tokyo's National Stadium about the meaning and power of hope. This week, she demonstrated it for all to see.