Vincent Zhou

Why Vincent Zhou Watched Netflix for First Time — Ever — at Olympics

The 21-year-old was set to compete in the men's singles event as well, but he was forced to withdraw after testing positive for COVID-19

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Winning an Olympic medal hasn't been the only first for Vincent Zhou during the 2022 Winter Games.

Zhou helped the U.S. figure skating team to a second-place finish in the individual event, earning his first Olympic medal in the process.

The 21-year-old was set to compete in the men's singles event as well, but he was forced to withdraw after testing positive for COVID-19.

And it was while he was in COVID isolation that Zhou experienced another first.

"I used Netflix for the first time in my life during my isolation," Zhou said. "I'm not kidding."

Zhou didn't open up Netflix for the first time in order to binge-watch "30 Rock" and kill time. He did so following a recommendation from his psychologist, who suggested Zhou watch "Icarus."

Released in 2017, "Icarus" is a documentary film about Russia's state-sponsored doping program.

"My psychologist recommended that to me because it was obviously relevant and would give me a little insight into the inner workings of these things and help give some perspective on what's going on right now," Zhou said.

Russia is currently serving a ban from the Olympics due to the program, and a Russian athlete has been at the center of a doping scandal during the Beijing Games.

Figure skating phenom Kamila Valieva, 15, helped power the Russian Olympic Committee to a gold medal in the team event with a couple of dazzling performances. But following the competition, it was revealed that a drug test Valieva took back in December turned up positive for a banned substance.

In a controversial decision made by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, Valieva was ruled eligible to continue competing in Beijing despite the positive test.

Valieva was the heavy gold-medal favorite entering the women's individual event. But she surprisingly dropped from first to fourth in the free skate on Thursday and missed out on the podium entirely.

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