Maxim Naumov honors late parents with emotional tribute at U.S. Figure Skating Championships one year after Washington, D.C. plane crash

Maxim Naumov stood on the ice Thursday night with tears in his eyes and a photo in his hands. The 24-year-old figure skater had just finished his routine at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in St. Louis, Missouri. But this moment was bigger than scores. It was about his parents.

Almost one year after losing them in a deadly Washington, D.C. plane crash, Maxim Naumov skated in their memory. As he waited for his score at the Enterprise Center, he held an old family picture of himself with his mother and father. When the numbers appeared, emotion took over.

Maxim Naumov honors Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova with emotional performance

Maxim Naumov competed Thursday night at the U.S. Championships in St. Louis, where the nation’s top skaters are fighting not only for medals, but also for a chance to make Team USA for the 2026 Winter Olympics.

After finishing his routine, Maxim Naumov stood quietly near the boards, holding a childhood photo of himself with his parents. When his score of 85.72 flashed on the screen, he covered his face and cried.

For a moment, the crowd fell silent. Then came applause. His parents, Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova, were both former figure skaters.

They were among the 67 people who died on January 29, 2025, when a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter collided mid-air with an American Airlines plane near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

After the crash, Maxim Naumov shared that his parents had changed flights at the last minute while returning from the 2025 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas.



Thursday’s skate was not perfect, but it was powerful. Maxim Naumov briefly held first place before later dropping to fourth by the end of the night.

Only three skaters will make the Olympic team, but he is still in the running and will compete again this weekend. Speaking after his performance, Maxim Naumov opened his heart about what keeps him going.

“I mean, it’s the ultimate goal,” Maxim Naumov said when asked about the Olympics in Milan.

“My parents and I, one of our last conversations, was exactly about that. It would mean the absolute world for me to do it,” he continued. “It’s what I think about first thing in the morning and when I shut my eyes.”

The championship marks nearly one year since the crash that took his parents’ lives. That tragedy was the first major U.S. commercial passenger plane crash since 2009, according to federal aviation records.

Since then, Maxim Naumov has stayed in the sport his parents loved. Friends in the skating world say he trains almost every day, keeping their memory close.

On Thursday night, it showed. His skate was not just about jumps and spins. It was about love, loss, and a son still chasing the dream he once talked about with his mother and father.

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