Palo Alto U.S. Olympic figure skater Vincent Zhou has dropped out of the Beijing Winter Games, after testing positive of COVID-19.
The 21-year-old described the turn of events as "pretty unreal," as he admitted he was still processing it all.
"I have been doing everything I can to stay free of Covid since the start of the pandemic," Zhou said, adding, "I've taken all the precautions I can. I've isolated myself so much that the loneliness I've felt in the last month or two has been crushing at times."
Zhou tested positive during a routine screening, the same day the U.S. team took silver in the team competition.
The San Jose-born athlete grew up in Palo Alto. His parents, originally from China, became Silicon Valley computer scientists.
Growing up in the Bay Area, Zhou practiced with The Skating Club of San Francisco. Zhou is a three-time U.S. national silver medalist and finished sixth in the 2018 Winter Olympics.
The Olympian praised and thanked his fellow skaters on Team USA, calling them the best in the world in the sport.
Zhou said he expects to compete in next month's world championships in France.
Watch his tearful message below...
Carolyn McArdle talked about it on the air. Listen below...