Vincent Zhou Cleared to Return After Week in Isolation

Vincent Zhou, who helped the U.S. staff win silver within the staff determine skating occasion final week, on Tuesday was cleared to return to the Olympics after testing optimistic for the coronavirus and spending per week in isolation.

Zhou, who completed fifth on the 2018 Olympics, missed celebrating the U.S. staff’s silver medal within the staff occasion and likewise was compelled to withdraw from the men’s individual event. Because it seems, nobody on his U.S. staff obtained its precise silver medal anyway.

The medals ceremony for the staff occasion was canceled after the Russian skater Kamila Valieva was discovered to have examined optimistic for a banned drug earlier than the Olympics. The medalists will obtain their awards solely as soon as Valieva’s doping case concludes, and that might take months.

“I do hope that Crew USA does obtain a medal finally,” Zhou mentioned. “Hopefully it received’t take like 4 years or so.”

Whereas in isolation, Zhou spent his time in resort about half-hour from the Olympic Village coping with what he described as a light chilly. He mentioned he was shocked that he had contracted the virus after doing “every part in need of shifting to Antarctica” to steer clear of others.

He was in a position to train and watch Netflix. His movie selections mirrored the scenario that was unfolding on the Olympics whereas he was caught inside. Zhou watched the documentary “Icarus,” which describes Russia’s state-run doping scheme on the 2014 Sochi Video games.

“It positively is fairly surprising and is a scary scenario we’ve happening right here on the Olympics,” he mentioned. “I’d perceive utterly if the women didn’t precisely belief the integrity of the competitors and the equity of every part. I hope that this resolves in one of the best ways attainable for all events concerned.”

The lads’s occasion was held with out controversy, and Zhou mentioned he didn’t watch it as a result of it was too emotionally painful. His teammate Nathan Chen received the gold medal. One other teammate, Jason Brown, was sixth.

“It additionally was tough for me to see the outcomes as a result of I knew I might have medaled,” Zhou mentioned. “It was a tough day for me.”

It made him really feel supported, although, that he continues to obtain good needs, together with from the singer Josh Groban. Zhou discovered Groban’s notice particularly touching as a result of he performs his brief program to one in every of Groban’s songs.

“That was actually, actually an superior second,” mentioned Zhou, who plans to carry out within the determine skating exhibition on Sunday, the ultimate day of the Beijing Video games.