Tokyo Olympics live updates day 1 schedule: swimming updates

He's been criticised for rejecting a Covid vaccine jab, but US breaststroker Michael Andrew is only focused on taking down world record holder Adam Peaty on Sunday. RELIVE ALL THE ACTION FROM DAY ONE.

US Olympic swimmer Michael Andrew has vowed to ignore “haters” critical of his refusal to vaccinate against Covid, saying his sole focus was performing in the pool.

Andrew has been outspoken about rejecting Covid-19 jabs, drawing the ire of retired US swim star Maya DiRado, who accused him of putting his own beliefs before the health of his teammates.

But the 22-year-old said he had faced no issues form his compatriots in the USA team after qualifying for the 100m breaststroke final on the opening night of swimming at the Tokyo Aquatic Centre.

“I’m just blessed with the team that we have here and the protocols, everything’s really safe,” he told reporters.

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“So I’ve been doing my best to switch it off. (There’s) a lot of haters, a lot of people that are with me, so it’s yea or nay.

“But I’m here to swim fast and right now that’s the focus. I’m keeping my eyes on that and trying to keep off social (media) as much as possible.”

Andrew said it was “crazy” competing at his first Olympics with no crowds present because of the pandemic, but he was not letting the magnitude of the event get to him.

“It’s one of those things where we can make it into something bigger than it is in our minds,” he said.

“I don’t want to crumble under that nerves and that pressure, so I’m approaching it like any other swim meet -- there’s just millions of people watching.”

Tokyo remains under a state of emergency due to a spike of infections in recent weeks and there have been dozens of Games-related coronavirus cases in the Japanese capital.

Check out the full schedule here.

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Originally published as Tokyo Olympics live updates day 1 schedule: swimming updates

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