BEIJING (AP) — U.S. men’s figure skater Vincent Zhou has tested positive for the coronavirus and is out of the individual competition.
In a five-minute video posted to Instagram on Monday night, a teary Zhou announced that he would have to withdraw.
He had initially tested positive as part of a routine COVID-19 screening and underwent additional testing.
The 21-year-old had struggled through a poor free skate for the eventual team silver medalists a day before and was due to compete in the individual competition that begins with the men’s short program on Tuesday.
Zhou's news comes on the same day the U.S. figure skating won silver in the team competition.
Zhou said in the video that he dealt with "crushing loneliness" over the past few months to avoid getting the virus, the Associated Press reported.
The news outlet reported he ended the video on a positive note saying, “This is not the end. This is a setup for a bigger comeback."
