High drama in the Paris pool as Japanese swimming star Rikako Ikee suffers shocking collapse after battling cancer

A second swimmer has collapsed on the pool deck after an Olympic race at Paris La Défense Arena, with a Japanese athlete on the comeback trail from leukemia leaving the crowd stunned on Sunday.

This incident occurred just days after Slovakian swimmer Tamara Potocka, 21, collapsed and was taken away on a stretcher at the Paris Aquatics Centre.

Medical staff rushed to assist Japan’s Rikako Ikee, who collapsed moments after the finish of the women’s 4x100m medley relay.

The 24-year-old athlete was walking from post-race TV interviews to the mixed zone when she suddenly fell to the ground.

Ikee finished fifth at the Rio 2016 Olympics at just 16. By 18, she was expected to be a standout at the Tokyo Olympics, having been named MVP of the 2018 Asian Games, where she won six gold and two silver medals.

However, in early 2019, she was diagnosed with acute lymphatic leukemia and spent about 10 months in the hospital. Her comeback has been remarkable.

She trained in Australia with Michael Bohl, coach to Stephanie Rice, Kaylee McKeown, and Emma McKeon, before returning to Japan earlier this year for the Olympic trials.

‘We have had quite a few Japanese swimmers train with us ~ the relationship and cooperation between Japan and Australia is very good,’ Bohl said in 2023. 

Rio Sharai, Satomi Suzuki, Mizuki Hirai and Rikako Ikee of Team Japan embrace after competing in the women’s 4x100m medley relay final

Ikee was the second swimmer to collapse at the Paris pool after Tamara Potocka of Slovakia required medical treatment

Ikee collapsed while moving from broadcast interviews to the mixed zone and was quickly surrounded by medical staff. Towels were used to shield her as she was carried out of view.

The Team Japan social media team posted congratulating Ikee for her fifth place finish, but had not mentioned her collapse at the time of publication.

Bohl’s right-hand assistant Janelle Pallister said ahead of the Olympics that Rikako had chosen to live and train in Australia to escape the glare of publicity back home in Japan.

‘We don’t have superstars,’ she said.

‘Everyone is the same so she’s able to be just another swimmer. She’s just another swimmer in the squad training to be the best she can be.’

Ikee has been living and training in Australia, trained by Michael Bohl (pictured right with Cody Simpson)

‘So she’s not a superstar. She’s just Rikkie, not Ikee Rikako. In Australia she’s just another person. She’s able to just enjoy the training, enjoy her life without I suppose extra pressure,’ Pallister continued.

‘It’s very good that she’s got that notoriety (in Japan). It’s very good for her because that is what swimming’s about. You have Daiya (Seto), you have Honda (Tomoru), you have Kitajima (Kosuke) – you have so many stars here and they need to be able to do what they want to do.

‘But when they’re training, they’ve got to just be another person.’