Milan (Italy) (AFP) – At 24, Maxim Naumov is preparing to make his dream come true by participating in his first Olympic Games in Milan. But this accomplishment will have a bitter taste for the American skater, a year after the death of his parents in a plane crash.

Published on: 05/02/2026 - 12:55

Last month, when he learned of his selection for the Olympic skating events, which begin Friday in Milan, Naumov immediately thought of his parents. "J'aurais aimé qu'ils vivent cette expérience avec moi, mais je ressens leur présence et ils sont avec moi", a-t-il témoigné.

On January 29, 2025, his parents, the 1994 world champions Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, who were also his coaches, were killed in a plane crash in Washington DC.

"(I also thought) about everything we've talked about forever, what this means to us, and how much the Olympics are part of our family," he continued.

The couple were on board Flight 5342 taking off from Washington DC when their plane was struck by a military helicopter.

The accident cost the lives of 67 people, including 28 people from the skating world: several young American skaters returning from a training camp in Kansas, accompanied by their parents or their coaches.

A few weeks later, Naumov skated in tribute to his parents at a charity event, breaking down in tears at the end of his performance.

A year later, he punched his ticket to the Games by taking the bronze medal at the United States Championships, his best ranking in five appearances.

“A source of inspiration”

In Milan, for the biggest competition of his career, Naumov will be surrounded in the American team by the phenomenon Ilia Malinin, double reigning world champion, and Andrew Torgashev.

“I try to absorb as much as possible and be in the moment,” he said in an interview with Olympics.com. A state of mind that comes from his parents, he believes.

"I followed in their footsteps. They were extremely dedicated, intelligent, caring and wonderful people who taught me to be resilient. And I apply that same mentality in everything I do."

When his qualification was announced, the American Scott Hamilton, Olympic champion in 1984, summed up the general emotion. “Maxim Naumov has been a source of hope, inspiration and strength in the storm for the American figure skating community, and now the dream has come true.”

Naumov could make his Olympic debut in the team event, which takes place Friday through Sunday. He will then compete in the individual short program on Tuesday.

The team competition, contested for the fourth time at the Olympic Games, is the first figure skating event on the program for the Milanese fortnight. It takes place over three days and pits ten national teams against each other. All skate four short programs, in the men's, women's, couples and ice dance categories, but only the top five qualify for the free programs.

Four years ago at the Beijing Games, the event was at the center of a huge imbroglio which shook up the entire competition. Initially first in the event, the Russians were demoted to third place after the disqualification of their skater Kamila Valieva, who tested positive in an anti-doping test. Gold eventually returned to the United States, and silver to Japan.

The medal ceremony could not take place at the time due to this affair. After numerous appeals to sports authorities, the podium was finally achieved during the Paris Summer Olympics in 2024.

© 2026 AFP

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