The top male skater on Canada’s Olympic team was expected to reach Beijing in time to compete Tuesday in the singles short program — if he continues to produce negative tests.
Keegan Messing was on a plane headed to Montreal on Friday night, a trip that puts the Alaska figure skater one step closer to Beijing and the Winter Olympics., Messing is expected to reach Beijing on Monday local time, in time to compete Tuesday in the men’s singles short program. He faces one last hurdle in Montreal, according to a spokeswoman for Skate Canada: producing a negative COVID-19 test result.
”He has had three negative tests so far and four are needed as part of the protocols for Beijing,” Caroline Sharp said by email Friday night. “From Montreal, he will fly on to Games and is expected to arrive early on Feb. 7th, in time to compete in the Men’s Program.” and competes for Canada. He finished 12th at the 2018 Winter Olympics, sixth at last year’s World Championships and is Team Canada’s top male skater.
Messing won the Canadian men’s singles championship last month and returned to Anchorage briefly before rejoining his Olympic teammates in Canada. Once back in Canada, he tested positive for COVID-19 and was unable to travel to China with the rest of the team, according to several news reports this week.He missed Thursday’s team competition and Friday’s Opening Ceremonies while in Vancouver, his Olympics on hold pending a series of negative test results.
Tuesday’s short program begins at 4:15 p.m. Alaska time . Based on the itinerary described by Sharp, Messing will be in Beijing for about 24 hours before he competes — time enough, perhaps, to test the Olympic ice at the Capital Indoor Stadium. If anyone is prepared to handle the quick turnaround and the stress of missing the Olympics while holed up in a hotel while trying to pass the COVID-19 protocols, it’s Messing. For last month’s national championships, he endured weather delays that contributed to a 33-hour trip from Anchorage to Ottawa — and along the way he was separated from his competition skates.