Vincent Zhou readies for World Championships after "one of the most challenging times in my life" with Beijing 2022 heartbreak

At Beijing 2022, Vincent Zhou received the devastating notification that no athlete wanted to get – the American had tested positive for Covid-19, ruling him out of the men's singles event.

He had made it to his second Olympic Games, and already taken part in the figure skating team event that opened the competition, helping Team USA to a medal position in the process. (The full results of the team event are provisional.)

But it was certainly not how the 21-year-old, whose four grandparents all live in the Chinese capital but could not see him, had hoped his Olympic Games would go.

A system of rigorous daily testing followed and when he finally produced a negative result, Zhou was allowed to skate in the exhibition gala on 20 February, the final day of the Games – some two weeks after he had skated in the team event.

"Honestly, after being in isolation for so long, I was just grateful to have any sort of thing," he told reporters on a conference call this week, in quotes reported by IFS Magazine. "I was still very grateful to have had the offer to do the gala.

"It was just really fulfilling and awesome to be on the ice with all the Olympic greats. It was a huge honour to be in the gala."

Since returning to the United States, Zhou said, he has been dealing with the lows of how his Olympic experience went.

That, in turn, is shaping how he's approaching his preparations for next week's ISU World Figure Skating Championships, to be held in Montpellier, France, from 23–27 March.

"Coming off the Olympics has been really challenging for me," he said. "I would say [it has been] one of the most challenging times in my life.

"I have been taking a lot of time to process things, just trying to take it one day at a time, one step at a time," he added.

Vincent Zhou: "Definitely not out of" post-Olympic blues yet

Many athletes experience a comedown after the Olympic Games, for which they've trained for four years or more.

That's no different for Zhou, even though he did not get to participate in the individual event. "Coming off the Olympics is always difficult, no matter whether you win or come last, or don't compete at the Olympics," he said.

"It is always a rough emotional and physical comedown coming back home."

While Zhou is back on the ice preparing for Worlds, things have not been very smooth sailing.

"Getting back on the ice after the Olympics is not easy. Especially for me this time, missing eight days of skating [during the Olympics] and, I would assume, being weakened in some way by that time off and also possibly by my illness," he acknowledged.

However, he sees his daily routine of practice as a way of working through his Olympic disappointment, clearly still raw for the skater.

"Normally I am very resilient, and able to get my head back on track really quickly after things happen. I would say my experience at the Olympics hit me harder than most things," he explained.

"I am taking the time to process and do the right things for myself, and taking it one day at a time.

"As hard as it has been, I definitely did not spend weeks in bed. Following my normal habits and patterns I was back on the ice in one day. It was not easy at all."

Finding the motivation for the World Championships

It's no surprise that under the circumstances, Zhou finds training for the Worlds different, with the Olympics still weighing heavily on his mind.

"I am still currently in the middle of things, I am definitely not out of it yet," he admitted, adding that his motivation to train for and go to Worlds "has definitely not been [there] 100 percent of the time."

In a world where athletes' mental well-being is increasingly being brought to the forefront of discussion, Zhou said that he has had assistance in that regard.

"I have been talking to a lot of people – my sports psychologist who is at the USOPC (United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee), my parents, coaches and people in U.S. Figure Skating.

"A lot of people have reached out offering support. I consider myself lucky to have all the people around me. I am sure no one can lessen the impact of things that happened, but simply their presence is helpful."

There was a constant theme to Zhou's answers: "taking things one day at a time".

"I am not ready to give up yet," he insisted. "I am getting on the ice every day, working toward my goals and trying to better myself. I am hoping I can bring out a spark of something at the World Championships. I know that I have it deep within me. I am a very motivated person and I don't give up easily.

"In a circumstance where probably 95 per cent of other people would have already given up (…) it is probably better and easier for me to just not go," he reflected.

However, not going would not sit well with Zhou.

"It would make me really proud to simply go, and even if I don’t do well, at least I had the courage to train every day leading up to Worlds, get on the plane, and step on the ice on competition day," the American stated.

"I guess I am proud to be saying that I am currently in the process of doing that. Taking the step and going to Worlds and giving it my best shot is already a big win for me."

Vincent Zhou on returning to school

Longer-term, nothing is set in stone.

Zhou had enrolled at Brown University in 2019 – the year he won bronze at the World Championships – and had decided he was done with skating. However, he had a change of heart and decided to take a study hiatus to focus on skating, coming back to reach the podium at the U.S. nationals in 2020.

Now, Zhou is ready to turn his attention back to the books.

"As far as my plan for next season, that is all up in the air," Zhou said, confirming: "I will be going back to Brown in the fall."

What that means for his skating career for now isn't clear. Brown, an Ivy League college, is located in Providence, Rhode Island – which Zhou hopes will allow him to keep skating in nearby Norwood, Massachusetts, where the Skating Club of Boston opened a rink at the end of 2020.

"Now that we have the new Boston skating club, that is about an hour or so from Providence," he said. "That will be a good option for me to skate at."

The ISU World Figure Skating Championships take place in Montpellier, France, from 23–27 March. Read the Olympics.com event preview here.