A gold medal from the Tokyo Olympics may be the most impressive trophy in his huge collection of shiny accolades, but Michael Andrew still keeps it tucked away in a box.
The 24-year-old Encinitas Swimmer refuses to let any single competition or race define him and he doesn't want to lose focus on the important things in life.
Faith, family, friends, and then swimming - it's his order of priorities that can easily get rocked when in constant pursuit of perfection in the pool.
Andrew became the youngest American swimmer to turn professional when he was just 14 years old and his family made huge life decisions based on his talent.
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Their jobs, addresses, schooling, and hobbies all in some way revolved around his budding athletic career.
Several years back the family of 4 landed in San Diego County where the ocean and sunshine provided Andrew, his parents, and his younger sister an opportunity to embrace the classic Southern California lifestyle.
"I go to bed thinking about the next time I'll get to golf, or play pickleball, or surf," said Andrew
Andrew's family is tight-knit.
His father is his coach, his mom works as a personal massage therapist, and his sister is his best friend.
You'll often find him strolling through the San Diego Zoo with friends from his local church.
But whether it's family, friends, or swimming, Andrew's Christian faith is what ultimately intertwines the important things in his life together and what he ultimately leans on when times get tough.
The Tokyo Olympics represented a lot of good things, including his gold medal earned during a world record-setting 400 medley relay, but also came with some big disappointments.
2024 Paris Olympics
Andrew finished in 4th place twice in individual events leaving him just off the podium.
He also took a fair amount of criticism for refusing to get vaccinated against COVID-19, which became more of a media talking point at the games than his years of training for the moment to represent his country.
"I went through 12 weeks of no swimming, just surfed, just got away from the sport completely. I didn't do any media after the games and just went into my own hole" said Andrew
Andrew says he is more secure than ever in the decisions he has made and the priorities he has set while training daily for a repeat trip to the Olympics.
His mantra: purpose over performance, it's something that falls in line with the priorities he'll look to keep on the journey to Paris 2024
