US figure skater Vincent Zhou is out of the Beijing Olympics after testing positive for COVID

US Olympic figure skater Vincent Zhou has withdrawn from the men’s singles competition in a heartbreaking Instagram video after he tested positive for COVID-19.

Along with six-time US champion Nathan Chen and the two-time reigning Olympic champion, Japan’s Yuzuru Hanyu, Zhou was considered among the favorites to medal in Beijing.

The 21-year-old Brown University student shared his frustration with fans on social media while isolating himself in his room inside the Olympic village.

Vincent Zhou of Team United States competes in the Men Single Free Skating during the Figure Skating Team Event at Capital Indoor Stadium on Sunday

‘I have tested positive for COVID-19 and unfortunately I will have to withdraw from the individual event starting tomorrow,’ he said.

‘It seems pretty unreal that of all the people it would happen to myself, and that’s not just because I’m still processing this turn of events but also because I have been doing everything in my power to stay free of COVID since the start of the pandemic,’ he continued. ‘I’ve taken all the precautions I can. I’ve isolated myself so much that the loneliness I felt in the last month or two has been crushing at times.’

Zhou did participate in the men’s free-skate portion of the team competition on Sunday, helping the US win a silver medal before his positive test was discovered. He did not attend the medal ceremony, according to multiple reports.

Teammates said they wished him well in a video, which was sent to him.

Vincent Zhou of US competes in Team Event Men Single Skating Short Program during the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics at Capital Indoor Stadium on Sunday in Beijing

On Monday, Zhou thanked his teammates.

‘I’ve already lost count of the number of times I’ve cried today,’ he said. ‘But I’m happy to say that at least one of those times was happy tears, and that was when I found out that I became an Olympic silver medalist.’

Although he was visibly shaken in his tearful video, Zhou framed the outcome in a positive light before signing off.

‘This is not the end,’ he said. ‘This is a setup for a bigger comeback.’

Zhou also spoke to his future self.

‘To the future Vincent watching this, your younger self would be so proud of the athlete and person you’ve become now,’ he continued. ‘When you were young sitting on the couch watching those great skaters on TV, studying their jumps every night at the dinner table, and waking up at 4am or earlier to go into the rink and skate and do double jumps, you had no idea what you were getting into.

‘But you had a dream, and you followed it.’

Zhou, who will continue his school in Providence, Rhode Island next fall, still hopes to participate at the World Championships in March.

Zhou did participate in the men’s free-skate portion of the team competition on Sunday, helping the US win a silver medal before his positive test was discovered