US skater Vincent Zhou out of weeklong COVID-19 quarantine

BEIJING — American figure skater Vincent Zhou is out of quarantine after testing positive for COVID-19 at the Beijing Games, and he plans to perform in the exhibition gala that traditionally closes the Olympic program on Sunday. Nathan Chen won the gold medal with his memorable free skate to Elton John’s “Rocket Man,” while Jason Brown finished in a respectable sixth place. “That’s still a developing situation and it’s also something that’s completely out of my control, and any of the other athletes’ control,” Zhou said. “I can’t really comment on what’s going on there, but I do hope that Team USA does receive our medal eventually and hopefully it won’t take, like, four years or whatever.” Zhou also acknowledged that “fair play and integrity of the sport” are of the utmost importance to him. “It definitely is a pretty shocking and, you know, scary situation we have going on here where the ladies — I would understand completely if the ladies didn’t exactly trust the integrity of the competition and the fairness of everything.” After performing in the exhibition gala Sunday, Zhou plans to return to the U.S. and prepare for the world championships the final week of March in Montpellier, France.