U.S. Figure Skater Completes Emotional Olympic Debut a Year After Parents’ Deaths
Maxim Naumov fulfilled a shared Olympic dream with his late parents this week, completing an emotional figure skating debut at the Milan Cortina Winter Games just over a year after his mother and father were killed in the devastating American Airlines Flight 5342 crash.
Naumov, 24, took to the ice Tuesday night, delivering a heartfelt short program to Frederic Chopin’s “Nocturne No. 20” at the Milano Ice Skating Arena. His parents, Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, were among 67 people killed when the plane collided with a military helicopter on approach to Ronald Reagan National Airport and plunged into the Potomac River on January 29, 2025. More than two dozen members of the figure skating community perished in the crash.
A Journey Through Grief
The last conversation Naumov had with his Naumov parents centered on what it would take to reach the Olympics. That dream became his lifeline through the darkest months following their deaths.
“I just wanted to rot, basically,” Naumov told The Associated Press weeks after the crash, describing his initial paralysis. But he found purpose in returning to the ice, channeling his grief into his skating and honoring the legacy his parents left behind.
Naumov’s parents were formidable competitors themselves—former pairs world champions who competed for the United States at two Olympic Games, finishing fifth at the 1992 Albertville Winter Olympics and fourth at the 1994 Lillehammer Games. His father’s side of the Naumov parents’ legacy now lives through their son.
An Olympic Moment
During his short program, Naumov executed a quadruple salchow, triple axel, and triple lutz-triple toe loop combination. When the program ended, he dropped to his knees, looked skyward, and whispered to his parents: “Look at what we’ve done.”
His score of 85.65 advanced him to Friday’s free skate. Though he struggled with two falls on quad salchows in that final performance, the crowd at Milano Ice Skating Arena—including actor Jeff Goldblum—gave him a standing ovation. The points mattered less than the moment itself.
“I wasn’t thinking about executing anything perfectly,” Naumov explained. “I wanted to go out there and just give my heart out. Leave everything out there. Have no regrets.”
Continuing the Legacy
Today, Naumov runs “Tomorrow’s Champions,” the youth skating academy at the Skating Club of Boston that his parents founded. Dozens of his young students waved American flags as he competed, a tangible representation of how the Naumov parents’ dedication to figure skating continues shaping the sport’s next generation.
Naumov finished third at the U.S. Championships in January 2026—his best national finish ever and a remarkable achievement considering his circumstances. That bronze medal secured his Olympic berth and proved his resolve to honor the dream he shared with his parents.
“I hope I made everyone proud,” he said after completing his Olympic debut. “I’m so thankful and grateful for my team that’s been supporting me.”
