U.S. men’s figure skater Vincent Zhou has tested positive for the coronavirus, and is out of the individual competition at the Beijing Olympics.
In a five-minute video posted to Instagram on Monday night, a teary Zhou announced that he would have to withdraw. He had initially tested positive as part of a routine COVID-19 screening, and underwent additional testing that confirmed his status.
“The pain of it all is pretty insane, but I do recognize that this absolutely does not define me as an athlete, as a person,” Zhou said in the video.
The 21-year-old had struggled through a poor free skate for the eventual team silver medalists a day before, and was due to compete in the individual competition that begins with the men’s short program on Tuesday.
Under Olympic protocols, Zhou would have been taken to an “isolation center” immediately upon testing positive. He’ll be required to isolate and tested daily until he shows two negative PCR results at least 24 hours apart and shows no symptoms of illness.
Zhou arrived in Beijing with high hopes of contending for a medal. He finished sixth in the men’s program at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games, but his second-place finish at the NHK Trophy and victory at Skate American in his two Grand Prix assignments gave him hopes of earning a medal.
In the video, Zhou said he had isolated to the point of crushing loneliness over the past few months in a bid to avoid the virus. He ended on a positive note, though: “This is not the end. This is a setup for a bigger comeback.”
Source: www.mercurynews.com