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

NBCUniversal Media, LLC At the recommendation of his sports psychologist, figure skater Vincent Zhou used Netflix for the first time after a positive COVID-19 test forced him into isolation.

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.

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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.

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"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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