February 07, (THEWILL) – Vincent Zhou, a U.S. Olympic figure skater, withdrew from the men’s singles competition on Monday, after testing positive for COVID-19. He made the announcement in a tearful Instagram video uploaded less than a day before the event.
Zhou, a two-time Olympian, was expected to compete for a medal alongside Nathan Chen, the six-time US champion, and Yuzuru Hanyu, the two-time reigning Olympic winner.
“I have tested positive for COVID-19 and unfortunately I will have to withdraw from the individual event starting tomorrow,” he said.
“It seems pretty unreal that of all the people it would happen to myself, and that’s not just because I’m still processing this turn of events, but also because I have been doing everything in my power to stay free of COVID since the start of the pandemic. I’ve taken all the precautions I can. I’ve isolated myself so much that the loneliness I felt in the last month or two has been crushing at times.”
The 21-year-old took part in the men’s free skate phase of the team competition on Sunday morning Beijing time and supported his teammates from the team box. Team USA earned a silver medal just moments before Zhou’s adverse test result was announced.
He was conspicuously absent from the medal ceremony, and his teammates told the press that they had made a video wishing him well.
Zhou stated in his own video that team silver helped him accomplish his aim of earning a medal at the Olympics, despite the fact that he is unable to compete in the singles event. He expressed his gratitude to his comrades for their assistance in making his ambition a reality.
“I’ve already lost count of the number of times I’ve cried today,” he said. “But I’m happy to say that at least one of those times was happy tears, and that was when I found out that I became an Olympic silver medalist.”
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
