U.S. figure skater honors parents who died in D.C. plane crash

Maxim Naumov of the United States of America competes in men's singles short program during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Ice Skating Arena. Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

U.S. figure skater Maxim Naumov honors parents who were killed in D.C. plane crash

By Adam Gretz | Last updated Feb 10, 2026 10:38 PM ET

American figure skater Maxim Naumov delivered one of the most emotional performances of the 2026 Winter Olympics on Tuesday, making his Olympic debut in the men's individual short-program. Naumov was competing in the Olympics a little more than a year after losing both of his parents in the Washington D.C. plane crash that killed 67 people after colliding with a military helicopter.

Naumov's parents, Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, a former figure skating duo, were among the 28 U.S. figure skating athletes, coaches and family members who were on that flight.

They were all returning from a development camp in Wichita, Kansas, at the time of the crash.

Maxim Naumov pays tribute to parents, delivers heartfelt message

Naumov sat down with NBC to discuss his parents, his motivation and his path to the competition in the aftermath of the tragedy.

Through heartbreak and tragedy, Max Naumov overcame adversity to follow in his late parents’ footsteps and compete in the #WinterOlympics. pic.twitter.com/GpWWAJyxWZ
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) February 11, 2026

Naumov carried a quote from his father ("expect the unexpected") inside of his Team USA jacket, and admitted that while he was nervous, he also felt a calm and confident going into his performance.

“I can’t say I wasn’t a little bit nervous but I felt so calm and so confident and was just really taking my time on everything. I felt like I was being guided like a chess piece on a chessboard. As I was going into one element and another, I didn’t have any fear in my mind — just confidence and ready to go.”

His performance resulted in an extended standing ovation and cheers, and resulted in him posting a qualifying score of 85.65 that has him in 14th place following the short program.

Maxim Naumov is an Olympian, and ALWAYS will be! pic.twitter.com/KC3zFj5hjf
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) February 10, 2026

Adam Gretz

Adam Gretz is a freelance writer based in Pittsburgh. He covers the NHL, NFL, MLB and NBA. Baseball is his favorite sport -- he is nearly halfway through his goal of seeing a game in every MLB ballpark. Catch him on Twitter @AGretz

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