Canadian figure skater Keegan Messing finally touches down in Beijing

Keegan Messing finally arrived in Beijing Monday morning after a nearly round-the-world trip with a pit stop for four negative COVID-19 tests along the way.

After testing positive just four days prior to the Canadian team's charter flight to Beijing at the end of January, the 30-year-old needed to produce four negative PCR tests before he was allowed to travel. Originally scheduled to fly to Beijing from Vancouver, Messing instead was forced to fly through Montreal and then Milan.

Keegan Messing has been training on rented ice in Vancouver as he was waiting to produce a series of negative COVID tests so he will be ready to skate on Feb. 8 if he arrives as hoped in Beijing in a couple of days.

Messing, who is from Girdwood, Ak., but competes for Canada because his mother was born in Edmonton, was originally scheduled to compete in the team event but was replaced by Roman Sadovsky, who finished second to Messing at the national championship in January.

Skate Canada high performance director Mike Slipchuk had joked if there was any athlete capable of competing well after taking the "milk run" to Beijing it was Messing, since his travel from Alaska is long for any event.

Messing will compete in the men's single skating short program on Tuesday. He finished 12th in his Olympic debut in 2018 in Pyeongchang.

WATCH | Beijing profile: Keegan Messing