Max Naumov Honors Parents Lost in D.C. Plane Crash at Olympic Debut

Max Naumov made his 2026 Milan Cortina debut on February 10 in the Men's Short Program, and his performance was followed by a poignant reminder of what he endured to get there. He lost both his mother and father in the January 2025 mid-air collision near Washington, D.C.; Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova were former skaters and coaches at the Skating Club of Boston who had supported his Olympic dreams.

Naumov finished his routine in tears and received a standing ovation. As he listened to his score, an 86.65, he held up a childhood photo of himself at three years old holding hands with his parents — the same image he has used as a tribute all season, including at the U.S.

Figure Skating Championships in St. Louis where he learned he had made the Olympic team. "I wanted them to...literally share that moment with me," he said. "'Cause they deserve it. They deserve to be there, right next to me." The crash occurred as an American Airlines flight preparing to land at Reagan National Airport collided with a U.S.

United States, Washington, D.C.

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