Former Olympians, World Champion figure skaters celebrated son’s medal before plane crash
Before Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, world-known Olympic figure skaters turned coaches, left Wichita on the American Airlines plane that collided mid-air with an Army Black Hawk helicopter over the Potomac River Wednesday night, they posted a photo of their son on social media.
Maxim Naumov, 23, had medaled in the U.S. Figure Skating Championships held in Wichita last week.
“Once again, Maxim made us all proud, getting on to the podium at Nationals after 7th place in the short,” his parents wrote. “ This beautiful and emotional performance is a result of a team work. … Maxim has earned his place in the team of 4 Continents.”
Maxim was not on the plane with his parents and other figure skaters and their families. He returned home from Wichita earlier in the week.
As the international world of figure skating grieved those who were on the plane Wednesday night, word quickly spread that Shishkova and Naumov were on board the deadly flight.
The married couple, who competed in the 1990s for Russia, won the pairs title at the 1994 World Figure Skating Championship and competed at two Olympics. The pair were coaches at The Skating Club of Boston, where they shared their passion for the sport with young skaters.
In a news conference Thursday morning in Massachusetts, Doug Zeghibe, executive director and CEO of The Skating Club of Boston, said the couple came to the club in 2017. The coaches were “very popular with families,” Zeghibe said, and had “proven success.”
“And (they) were very much a part of our building, the competitive skating program here.,” he said. “ ... It’s a major personal loss, but it’s also a loss to our skating community.”
Zeghibe confirmed during the news conference that Maxim Naumov had flown home Monday, according to the Associated Press.
On the club’s site, Naumov said he loved to “create an environment where students have fun while working hard.”
“I also believe that helping and guiding athletes through their emotional challenges, ups and downs during training and competing are (a) coach’s responsibilities.”
Naumov was an “old school coach,” Zeghibe said in the news conference in Norwood, Massachusetts. He was a good role model and loved working with kids at the club.
“He was also a firm disciplinarian,” Zeghibe said. “Not in a punishment way by any means, but in boundaries and training, and he made the kids keep to their proper standards. Very much in a Russian method.”
On the club’s website, Shishkova said she enjoyed sharing her love of figure skating with her students.
“I want all of them to have a positive experience in their skating endeavors.”
Zeghibe told reporters in Norwood, Massachusetts Thursday morning that Shishkova was incredibly tough and resilient.
“You couldn’t see (Shishkova) and not just break into a smile,” he said.
The CEO said the club sought out the couple when they were in a training camp in Connecticut.
“We sought them out,” Zeghibe said. “To build the coaching in our own program. That was a deliberate move. So we sort of stole them from Connecticut.”
The couple were in Wichita when their son, Maxim, competed during the U.S. Figure Skating Championships., according to the Associated Press.
“It’s well-known Mom was always too nervous to watch him skate,” Zeghibe said, pausing to contain his emotions. “But his dad was with him, and Dad was in the ‘kiss-and-cry’ sharing his great performance.”
On their son’s Instagram page Thursday morning, several people who posted offered Maxim comfort.
“As a parent my heart breaks for the pain you must endure,” one woman wrote on a photo of him and his parents that Maxim posted a couple of years ago wishing his mom a Happy Birthday. “I pray you are surrounded by those that love you and you have the support system you need.”
Added another: “I’m sorry for your loss, the world is thinking of you and your sweet parents.”
This story was originally published January 30, 2025 at 1:22 PM.
