US swimmer Michael Andrew explains refusal to wear mask following Olympic event

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Michael Andrew, the American swimmer who sparked controversy after opting not to get the COVID vaccine ahead of the Olympics, was spotted without a mask in an interview room following a disappointing finish in the men's 200-meter individual medley on Friday.

When asked why he wasn’t wearing one despite the IOC’s rules, he said, "No reason." 

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Andrew, 22, has recently come under fire for his decision not to get vaccinated before traveling to Tokyo but on Friday he explained why he also decided against wearing a mask in a room full of reporters post-race. 

"For me, it's pretty hard to breathe in after kind of sacrificing my body in the water," he said, via Yahoo Sports. "So I feel like my health is a little more tied to being able to breathe than protecting what's coming out of my mouth."

Andrew continued that while he respects the rules put in place by the Olympics’ governing body he feels safe doing so because of the other safety protocols athletes have had to abide by.

"I think it's great that there's procedures in [place], but at the end of the day, all of us here have been under quarantine, and under the same testing protocol. So there's a level of safety I'm comfortable with. When we're racing, it's important to get my oxygen."

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Andrew fielded a few questions about the race where he finished fifth with a time of 1:57.31 despite being expected to medal but the questions turned back to his reason for not wearing a mask. 

"No reason," he said. "I mean, I'll throw it on when I'm done here. But, just, to speak, it's difficult. You know, other people can hear me."

Andrew has previously explained that his decision not to get vaccinated was over concerns about how the vaccine might affect his training leading up to the Games.

"As an athlete on the elite level, everything we do is very calculated," he said at the time. "For me in the training cycle, especially leading up to trials, I didn’t want to risk any days out, because we do know that there are periods where, getting the vaccine, you have to deal with some days off."

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The United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) initially issued a statement in response to Andrew not wearing a mask saying he violated Olympic policy but later determined that he did not. 

"Michael has been reminded of the Games policy and established COVID mitigation protocols, and has acknowledged the importance of following all guidelines intended to keep athletes and the community safe," their statement read.

Fox News’ Ryan Gaydos and The Associated Press contributed to this report.