Rikako Ikee: Japan’s Tokyo 2020 medal contender has leukaemia (BBC)

Japan’s Rikako Ikee, a medal favourite for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, has been diagnosed with leukaemia.

The 18-year-old won a record six gold, plus two silvers, at last year’s Asian Games in Indonesia.

Ikee, who had left a training camp in Australia, announced the diagnosis on social media and said she is “in a state of confusion”.

“I will devote myself to my treatment and strive to be able to show an even stronger Rikako Ikee,” she said. Read more