'He deserves to be up there with us.' After positive test, US skater misses out on celebrating silver

BEIJING – The scene has been repeated throughout history, the victorious Olympians on the ice, arms raised in triumph, joining together in front of their flag for a picture for posterity.

That’s how the U.S. figure skating team posed Monday at Capital Indoor Stadium after winning the Olympic silver medal in the team figure skating event. But something wasn’t right. One of them was missing. News had just come that men’s long program skater Vincent Zhou had tested positive for COVID-19.

So the on-ice celebration turned into a pick-me-up for Zhou, as the rest of the American team gathered to shoot a video message for Zhou right there on the ice.

“We wish you were here. We love you. Thank you for your contribution,” they said into the camera.

It was a portrait of victory in the time of COVID. Joy, tempered almost immediately by the realities of the day: that anyone, anytime, can test positive, even within the closed-loop COVID fortress that Beijing Olympic organizers have built to guard against exactly what is happening.

Zhou, who had a difficult skate Sunday, was tested after the event that evening, according to U.S. Figure Skating. The positive test came back Monday, so Zhou stayed back in the village and took a second test. Zhou announced Monday on social media that he will be unable to compete in the men's competition after his positive test.

Zhou’s teammates said they believe he has been extremely cautious. “Every time that I’ve seen Vincent, he’s been by himself, completely – in the cafeteria, passing by in the village,” said U.S. ice dancer Evan Bates. “So it was very surprising to hear the news, based on his activity that we’ve witnessed. There’s not a lot of socializing going on. Everybody is aware of the threat, and everybody is determined to stay safe and healthy.”

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Some members of the American team were informed of Zhou’s positive test and absence as the competition went on during Monday’s final day of the team event. But both Nathan Chen and Karen Chen said they didn’t know until they were on the ice for the ceremony.

“Where’s Vincent? Where’s Vincent?” Karen Chen asked, then was told by Bates what had happened, she said.

Nathan Chen said he thought Zhou was missing because he had a practice session for Tuesday’s men’s short program. He said he didn’t find out why Zhou wasn’t there until after the ceremony, when he checked his phone while still on the ice before joining in for the video message.

“He deserves to be up there with us,” Nathan Chen said.

“It’s really unfortunate that he wasn’t able to share this moment with all of us,” Karen Chen said.

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When the names of the athletes were announced and the skaters stepped onto their rung of the podium to be acknowledged, Zhou inexplicably went unmentioned.

“That’s not OK,” Nathan Chen said.

The official medal ceremony is Tuesday night.

For Team USA, the silver was a first, coming after two consecutive bronze medals in 2014 and 2018. After jumping to an early lead on Day 1, then faltering on the second day of the team event, the United States all but sealed the silver when Bates and his partner Madison Chock won the free dance. The only event remaining was the women’s long program, in which Karen Chen was back after falling in the short program the day before.

She put out a solid performance, and by finishing fourth of the five skaters, ensured the silver for the Americans. Russia won the gold and Japan the bronze.

“I felt I needed to redeem myself from yesterday,” Chen said, adding she didn’t know that her performance clinched the silver for the ecstatic Americans.

“I had no idea,” she said. “I actually had to stop myself from keeping track of the scores and whatnot. I feel the best when I’m just focused on myself and not thinking about these other things that could potentially overwhelm me.”

Good advice for everyone at an Olympic Games that has become utterly unpredictable, for all the wrong reasons.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: US skater Vincent Zhou misses Olympic victory ceremony due to COVID