Team USA figure skater Maxim Naumov honored his late parents in his Olympic debut one year after they died in a plane crash.
Naumov, 24, skated in the men’s short program at Milano Ice Skating Arena in Milan, Italy, during the 2026 Winter Olympics on Tuesday, February 10. The athlete had a huge smile on his face as he completed his performance to Frédéric Chopin‘s “Nocturne No. 20.”
While waiting for his total score — 85.65 — Maxim held up a photo of himself with his late parents, Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, who were also figure skaters and Olympians in 1992 and 1994.
In an interview after his performance, Maxim said he felt the “presence” of his mom and dad guiding him on the ice. Though he typically feels nervous before skating, Maxim added that he experienced a sense of calm before stepping onto the rink on Tuesday.
Before his performance, a video message played at the arena showed Maxim telling his parents, “Mom and dad, this one is for you.”
Vadim, 55, and Evgenia, 52, were among the 60-plus passengers aboard American Eagle Flight 5342 when the plane collided with a United States Army Black Hawk helicopter in mid-air over the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. in January 2025. The collision was the deadliest on American soil in more than two decades.
Fourteen members of the figure skating community were killed in the crash, including young skaters, parents and coaches. The plane had been on its way back from the 2025 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas.
In a December 2025 response to a lawsuit filed by the family of one of the victims, the U.S. government said it believed the actions of air traffic controllers and Army helicopter pilots played a role in the crash.
Maxim, who had departed from Wichita a few days before the crash, told Today in March 2025 that his mom had called him before her death.
“It was actually the last thing that they said,” he said in his first interview following his parents’ deaths. “It was actually my mom that called me, and she said, ‘Hey, I just want you to know that we love you and we’re proud of you.’ It means everything to me. I mean, my whole life, a part of it was to make them proud.”
On the one-year anniversary of the crash, Maxim reflected on losing his parents in a poignant Instagram post.
“It’s hard to believe that it’s already been one full year. The most difficult year of my entire life,” he wrote. “I still find myself waking up some days and just wondering why? How could this all have happened? For what reason? Why were they taken away from me so soon?”
Maxim continued, “Unfortunately, there are always more questions than answers. But, despite all of that I get ready, put on my coat and head out the door. Every. Single. Day. Because I have a job to do. I am quickly reminded of the goal we set out to achieve when I was 5 years old. Together. As a family. Now, 19 years later, we are here. We did it.”
