Zhou has become the third men’s figure skater from the US to book a place for their nation, joining Nathan Chen and Jason Brown.

The 20-year-old, who finished sixth at Pyeongchang 2018, claimed 284.23 points to secure the Nebelhorn Trophy crown after impressing in short and free skating programmes.

It was his first International Skating Union (ISU) Challenger Series title of his career.

France’s Adam Siao Him Fa climbed to second with 284.23 as his free skating routine saw him move ahead of Russia’s Mark Kondratiuk who finished third with 241.06.

South Korea’s Sihyeong Lee, Azerbaijan’s Vladimir Litvintsev, Australia’s Brendan Kerry and Canada’s Roman Sadovsky finished in the top eight, earning Olympic quota spots for their nations.

Italy’s Gabriele Frangipani came fourth but was not seeking qualification for Beijing 2022.

Germany’s Minerva Fabienne Hase and Nolan Seegert topped the pairs competition after scoring 185.25.

Spain’s Laura Barquero and Marco Zandron came second with 181.61, while Georgia’s Karina Safina and Luke Berulava secured third with 178.16.

Finnish duo Juulia Turkkila and Matthias Versluis moved to the top of the ice dance standings after registering 70.92 in the rhythm dance segment.

Natalie Taschlerova and Filip Taschler of the Czech Republic were the next best performers, scoring 70.51.

Armenians Tina Garabedian and Simon Proulx Senecal came third with 68.61.

Competition is due to conclude tomorrow with ice dance and women’s contests.

A total of 20 quota places are up for grabs at the event, including seven in the men’s, six women’s, three in pair skating and four in ice dance.

The ISU confirmed an individual linked to the Nebelhorn Trophy has tested positive for coronavirus and been forced to go into isolation.

"As part of the Covid-19 testing procedures during the ISU Challenger series and Olympic Qualifying Event Nebelhorn Trophy in Oberstdorf, numerous antigen tests have been performed on site," a statement from the ISU read.

"Amongst these numerous tests, one positive case was identified and confirmed.

"The ISU and Organising Committee will respect the privacy of the respective person and inform the remaining event participants internally of the situation.

"The person has been isolated and the local health authorities are following up with all mandatory procedures and policies according to the State of Bavaria.

"The Organising Committee and local health authorities continue to take care of the safety and health of all participants of the event."