Japanese swimming star Rikako Ikee, who is battling leukemia, released a photo on Thursday of her visit to Tokyo Disneyland earlier this week, telling fans on her Instagram account that she enjoyed an "extremely satisfying day."
The photo showed a smiling Ikee, sporting a Minnie Mouse ears headband, in front of Cinderella Castle at the theme park in Chiba Prefecture, near Tokyo.
"I went to Disneyland yesterday," the 19-year-old said. "I've been wanting to go there for a long while and so it was an extremely satisfying day."
Fans were delighted to see Ikee's post, which garnered over 130,000 likes in half a day.
Ikee, considered a strong medal contender for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics until her leukemia diagnosis in February, continues to be in and out of hospital for treatment, her management agency said earlier this month.
"Right now we cannot tell you clearly with regard to when (Ikee) will return to competition," the management agency said in a statement addressed to the media on Ikee's official website on Aug. 7. "She will continue to focus on her treatment."
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