Updated Feb 7, 2022 - Sports

U.S. figure skater Vincent Zhou out of Olympics after positive COVID test

Rebecca Falconer,
Ivana Saric

Vincent Zhou of USA in action at the Team Event Men Single Skating Short Program during the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics at Capital Indoor Stadium on February 6, 2022 in Beijing, China. — Vincent Zhou of Team USA at the team event men's single skating short program during the 2022 Winter Olympics at Capital Indoor Stadium in Beijing on Sunday. Photo: Mario Hommes/DeFodi Images via Getty Images

Team USA men's figure skater Vincent Zhou will withdraw from the Winter Olympics individual competition after testing positive for COVID-19, the athlete said in an emotional Instagram post Monday.

What he's saying: "This is not the end. This is a setup for a bigger comeback," he said. "While it was always my dream to medal on an Olympic stage, which I did accomplish before this happened, the overarching dream was just to skate."

Why it matters: He had been widely tipped to bag another Olympic medal, after the U.S. figure skating team won silver.

Zhou competed as a substitute for world champion Nathan Chen in the team event on Sunday.

Go deeper: What to know about the Winter Olympics' COVID protocols

Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional details throughout.

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U.S. figure skater Vincent Zhou out of Olympics after positive COVID test

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