At the Kitajima Cup in Tokyo in January 2016, Ikee broke the national record in the 100-meter freestyle, swimming 53.99.

In February, she broke the national record in the 50-meter freestyle with a time of 24.74 at the Konami Open held at the Tokyo Tatsumi International Swimming Center.

[13] At the Olympic trials in Tokyo in April, Ikee slightly improved her national record in the 100 m butterfly to 57.55.

[17] After returning to Japan, Ikee learned that she had won the Most Valuable Player award for the tournament, the first for a female athlete at the Games.

On 12 February, Ikee posted a message on Twitter, announcing that she has been diagnosed with leukemia.