U.S. Olympic figure skater Vincent Zhou has tested positive for Covid-19 at the Beijing Winter Games, jeopardizing hopes for his first Olympic medal as a key competition is scheduled at a time when he could be required to isolate.
The positive result came during routine screening for competitors, the U.S. Figure Skating association said in a statement early Monday. But officials are holding out hope that this could prove to be a false positive.
“Under the guidance of the [United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee] medical staff, Zhou is undergoing additional testing to confirm his status,” the statement continued.
If he tests negative, Zhou will be able to return to the Games in time for the men’s short program, which starts Tuesday.
Zhou competed over the weekend in the men’s free skate event, placing third and realizing a longtime goal of skating in the Olympics to the music of the 2000 Ang Lee film, “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” in China, his parents’ home country.
Zhou, 21, finished sixth at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, where he made history as the first skater to land a quadruple lutz in the short program. He is from San Jose, California, and friends in San Diego held a watch party for his free skate late Saturday local time.