Vincent Zhou of the United States. Xinhua

Men's figure skater Vincent Zhou withdraws from Olympics due to COVID

By Chelena Goldman | Last updated 2/7/22

U.S. Olympic figure skater Vincent Zhou has withdrawn from the men's singles competition after testing positive for COVID-19.

Zhou, 21, announced his withdrawal in an emotional and melancholy Instagram post on Monday.

"It seems pretty unreal that of all the people it would happen to myself," Zhou said. "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."

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A post shared by Vincent Zhou (@govincentzhou)

Zhou, who was a favorite ahead of the men's singles event, competed in the men's free skate portion on Sunday prior to news of his positive test. He was not on the podium as the men's U.S. team won silver.

Members of the skating world, including Olympian-turned-analyst Johnny Weir, took to social media to express their support for Zhou after the announcement.

Crushing news today. Men’s podium favorite Vincent Zhou has withdrawn from the Olympics due to Covid. He helped Team USA to a team silver and is a tremendous talent and I admire his skating & determination so much. @govincentzhou you are so appreciated. Be strong.
— Johnny Weir (@JohnnyGWeir) February 7, 2022