Team USA Skater Vincent Zhou Withdraws From Olympics. ‘I Am More Than Just Another Positive COVID Test’
In an emotional video posted to his Instagram account, Staff USA determine skater Vincent Zhou defined that he examined optimistic for COVID-19 and is withdrawing from the lads’s determine skating competitors on the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.
“I’ve examined optimistic for COVID-19, and sadly I should withdraw from the person occasion beginning tomorrow,” he stated. “It appears fairly unreal that of all folks it might occur to myself. Not simply because I’m nonetheless processing this flip of occasions, however as a result of I’ve been doing all the pieces in my energy to remain freed from COVID for the reason that begin of the pandemic…I’m extra than simply one other optimistic COVID check. I’m extra than simply one other face within the crowd.”
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Zhou did take part within the workforce determine skating occasion on the morning of Feb. 6, within the males’s free program portion. The US earned silver within the occasion, the nation’s highest end within the workforce competitors but.
Learn extra: Your Full Information to Determine Skating on the Beijing Olympics
U.S. Determine Skating stated Zhou examined optimistic on the day he competed within the workforce occasion, as a part of the day by day PCR testing carried out on all athletes on the Video games. Any optimistic check is adopted up by one other confirmatory check. Based on the Beijing Olympic playbook, athletes who check optimistic are instantly moved to a separate isolation facility in the event that they don’t have signs, and to a hospital in the event that they do. They can’t go away isolation till they produce two adverse checks, 24 hours aside. That stops Zhou from taking part within the males’s competitors, which begins on Feb. 8 Beijing time.
“I’ve taken all of the precautions I can,” Zhou continued in his Instagram video. “I’ve remoted myself a lot that the loneliness I felt within the final month or two has been crushing at instances. The enormity of the scenario—simply the ache of all of it is fairly insane.”
Learn extra: What Occurs if an Athlete Checks Constructive for COVID-19 on the Bejing Olympics
Zhou trains in Colorado Springs and has been attending Brown College. The nationwide bronze medalist is the one skater to have crushed teammate Nathan Chen this season, and hoped to raised his sixth-place end on the final Olympics in 2018.
Getting emotional in his video, Zhou addressed his future self, to remind himself of what he’s completed and reassure himself that new alternatives to proceed skating on the elite stage emerge. “Little 8-year-old you’ll be asking 21-year-old you for pictures and autographs and all the pieces. You understand why? Since you lived out your desires. You grew to become the individual you all the time aspired to be. If you have been younger, sitting on the sofa watching these nice skaters on TV, finding out their jumps each evening on the dinner desk, and waking up at 4 am or earlier to enter the rink and skate and do double jumps, you had no thought what you have been moving into. However you had a dream and also you adopted it…Immediately you’re that individual, Vincent. You made it occur.”
Learn extra: Right here’s How Many Medals Each Nation Has Received on the Beijing Olympics
Zhou stated he was grateful to his teammates and for successful the silver medal with them, and vowed to return to competitors on the world championships if he’s given the chance. “I’m sorry that I couldn’t proceed this journey with you guys any longer, and our paths diverge from right here. However it’s for trigger. Hopefully, I’ll have the chance to characterize Staff USA on the World Championships and I can be again stronger then, I can be again higher then. This isn’t the tip. This can be a setup for a much bigger comeback. Vincent Zhou, signing out,” he stated, as he saluted the digital camera.
