Having come to terms with a challenging 2024 Paris Olympics, Japanese swimmer Rikako Ikee plans to be in career-best shape at the Los Angeles Games in three years' time. The 24-year-old, who temporarily quit the pool following her 2019 leukemia diagnosis, contested her second Summer Games in Paris, where she placed 12th in the 100-meter butterfly. Ikee announced on Instagram after the games that she was in "complete remission" from leukemia. While she has made steady progress since returning to competition in time for her home Olympics in 2021, she still feels a long way from recapturing the form that made her a breakout star of the sport as a teenager. "I had been training hard, but at the Paris Olympics, I still felt like I hadn't caught up with the rest of the world," Ikee said in a recent online interview. "It felt like Los Angeles would be where I could compete in peak physical condition." The Tokyo native was disappointed at missing qualification for the eight-woman final of her event in the French capital but eventually felt proud of her performance. "Immediately afterward, I questioned what I was doing, but after talking to many people, I realized finishing 12th in the world was actually something wonderful," she said. Ikee said her comeback was initially motivated by a desire to encourage other people with leukemia, but she was now focused on becoming one of the best swimmers in the world once again. "Now that I've returned to being a full-fledged athlete, I want to work hard for myself, towards the Olympics in three years' time," she said. "I just want to get faster. I'm frustrated when I lose, and I can still remember competing as the world No. 1. I want to keep that in my sights." Ikee is currently based in Australia for her training and feels energized by the country's strong swimming culture. "Sometimes I go to the pool before 6 a.m., and there are already more than 50 people swimming in the four pools," she said. "Even though it's morning, they have music playing full blast, and it feels like a sports festival or athletic meet. The swimmers are really excited, so I think that's different from Japan." Her immediate goal is to qualify for this summer's world championships in Singapore via the upcoming national championships on March 19-23. "I have a good chance in the 50-meter butterfly," she said. "I'll be heading to the nationals in March with my sights set on the top."