BEIJING — Karen Chen had less than an hour to celebrate her dream before she returned to the nightmare. Shortly before the U.S. sealed a silver medal in the team figure skating event Monday, her teammates learned that Vincent Zhou, who had placed third in the men’s free skate a day earlier, had tested positive for COVID-19.
But Chen was due to perform in the women’s free skate, so no one told her. She finished fourth, locking in the result: 74 points for Russia, 65 for the U.S., 63 for Japan. She changed into her medal-ceremony uniform. She lined up to proceed onto the ice for the ceremony. And she realized someone was missing.
“Before we got on [to the podium] I was like, ‘Where’s Vincent? Where’s Vincent?’” she said. “But I figured he was probably putting on his skates or something. I didn’t think that was the reason.”
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This is the COVID-19 Olympics—an Olympic moment one minute, a COVID-19 moment the next. After a logistically challenging lead-up to the Games that often drove athletes to wall themselves off from family and friends, trying to return as many as four negative COVID-19 tests in the weeks before departure, they arrived … and are learning it’s not much easier now that they’re here. Athletes live in fear that a positive test could derail their lifelong goal.
Team USA officials said that Zhou was asymptomatic and that his positive result, of which they learned Monday morning, came from the daily testing everyone here undergoes. They said he was undergoing follow-up testing; if that result is negative, he can compete in the men’s individual event, which begins Tuesday morning with the short program. If it is positive, his Olympics are over, leaving the U.S. with only Nathan Chen and Jason Brown competing for the individual title. (Because Zhou skated in the team event, he cannot be replaced with alternate Ilia Malinin, who is not in Beijing and could probably not have gotten here and through the protocols in time, anyway.)
The news tempered the joy the Americans felt at their silver medal, their best result in this event since it joined the program in 2014. They stormed to a surprising lead Friday behind a dazzling short program by Nathan Chen—whose score was the second-highest in Olympic history—and excellent performances by Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier in the pairs and Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue in the ice dance. Karen Chen and Zhou stumbled Sunday to drop the U.S. in second, where it would stay. There is no shame in losing to a team that boasts 15-year-old Kamila Valieva, who completed two quadruple jumps Monday—the first by a woman in Olympic history—and who may well be the best ever. The Americans were “elated” with second place, said ice dancer and team captain Evan Bates.
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They lamented that Zhou was absent for the ceremony. The public-address announcer did not even read his name. The skaters recorded a video for him from the ice, thanking him for his contribution and telling him they love him.
“I see all the work he’s been putting in, and it’s really unfortunate he wasn’t able to share this moment with all of us,” said Karen Chen. “But I hope that everything turns out well. I’m staying positive that he’s going to test negative and he’s going to come back.”
There is some reason to be optimistic: A few U.S. skaters expressed surprise that Zhou specifically tested positive.
“Every time that I've seen Vincent, he's been by himself, completely,” said Bates. “In the cafeteria, passing by in the village.”
Michael Madrid/USA TODAY Sports
But COVID-19, especially the contagious omicron strain, can be cruel. Many people who do everything right still see two red lines on their tests. The athletes here know that, which adds stress to an already overwhelming period of their lives. The skaters said they would not change their behavior if Zhou’s positive test is indeed confirmed—they already barely see anyone, and they are compulsive about masking and washing their hands. Nathan Chen said he eats with a mask on, pulling it up slightly each time he wants to take a bite.
“It might be overkill,” he said. “But better safe than sorry at this point.”
Then he left the rink and returned to the Olympic Village to celebrate his silver medal—alone.
