Is Vincent Zhou OK? Covid-positive US figure skater 'crushed' after withdrawing from Winter Olympics
Team USA participating in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics is going through a dark phase, as another player, Vincent Zhou, has withdrawn from the men's singles competition. Zhou announced the development through a heartbreaking Instagram video after testing positive for Covid. The Olympic champion representing the US in the figure skating competition is just 21 years old and was eying for gold at the mega event. Along with six-time US champion Nathan Chen and the two-time reigning Olympic champion, Japan's Yuzuru Hanyu, Zhou was considered among the favorites to win a medal at Beijing.
This 21-year-old was seen in a frustrated mood during his social media interaction with his fans. He isolated himself inside a room in the Olympic Village and shared his withdrawal message through an Instagram post. Zhou is a bronze medalist at the world championships in 2019 and was participating in the Olympic men's singles event since 2018.
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In his Instagram video, Zhou said he's done "everything" to avoid infection and admitted his frequent isolations have resulted in "crushing" loneliness at times. "I have tested positive for Covid 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," he continued. "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."
Apart from the main event, Zhou did participate in the men's free skate portion of the team competition on Sunday, helping the US win a silver medal before his positive test was discovered. He did not attend the medal ceremony, according to multiple reports. Teammates said that they wished him well in a video that was sent to him. "I've already lost count of the number of times I've cried today," the athlete 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," Zhou thanked his teammates.
Zhou, being an experienced Olympian and a sportsperson by heart, managed to keep his temper and take things on a lighter note. He ambitiously framed the outcome in a positive light before signing off. "This is not the end," he said. "This is a setup for a bigger comeback." Zhou also made sure that he gave high hopes to his fans and assured them of a greater comeback.
"To the future Vincent watching this, your younger self would be so proud of the athlete and person you've become now. When you were young sitting on the couch watching those great skaters on TV, studying their jumps every night at the dinner table, and waking up at 4 am or earlier to go into the rink and skate and do double jumps, you had no idea what you were getting into. But you had a dream, and you followed it," Zhou said to his future self.
Going back, Zhou will continue with his studies at Brown University and is hoping to get well soon before the upcoming world championships in March 2022.
