(Beijing) Vincent Zhou, Olympic medal hopeful for the United States, announced on Monday his withdrawal from the individual figure skating event, which begins Tuesday at the Beijing Games, because he contracted COVID-19.
Posted at 2:13 p.m.
“I have been declared positive for COVID-19 and unfortunately I will have to withdraw from the individual event,” he said in a video posted on his Instagram account.
“It seems quite unreal for this to happen to me […] because I have done everything in my power to stay free from the virus since the start of the pandemic. I took all possible precautions. I have isolated myself so much that the loneliness I have felt over the past two months has at times been overwhelming, ”he explained very emotionally.
Zhou, who is competing in his second Olympics, was aiming for a podium in Beijing where his compatriot Nathan Chen, whom he beat at the last Skate America, is the favorite for gold, with the Japanese Yuzuru Hanyu, double Olympic champion in title. .
Sunday morning, he participated in the free program of the team competition. The United States finally got the money, just before Zhou learned that his test had come back positive. He could not be present for the medal ceremony.
In his video, the 21-year-old said the collective performance helped him achieve his dream of an Olympic medal and thanked his teammates. “I don’t even know how many times I cried today. But I’m happy to say that at least they were tears of joy,” he said.
“It’s not the end,” nevertheless concluded Zhou, who intends to participate in the World Championships in March and does not rule out participating in a third Olympiad.