Back in January 2025, the United States of America witnessed a horrific tragedy when a passenger plane collided mid-air with a Blackhawk helicopter over Washington DC’s Potomac River.
American figure skater, Maxim Naumov, tragically lost both of his parents in the accident.
A year on from the loss, the athlete scripts a story of inspiration, as he is set to represent the USA at the Winter Olympics 2026.
Speaking with People magazine, Maxim Naumov said the he feels his parents’ presence everywhere.
“I feel their presence everywhere that I go.“
Maxim Naumov Opens Up On His Loss
Creating beauty from tragedy.
In a season after deep personal loss, Maxim Naumov has presented two new programs that are unlike anything he has done before.
Filled with raw emotional power, the programs pay tribute to his parents, world champions and two-time Olympians… pic.twitter.com/CRNQXUJgUi
— The Olympic Games (@Olympics) November 11, 2025
Maxim Naumov also stated in the said interview, “I hear their voices, like what they say to me, all those lessons that we had every single day for years, I have memories that are burned into my head, of certain corrections on jumps and things like that….or they’re laughing about something or telling me, Don’t forget to point your toes.”
The New York Times quoted the athlete about how he motivated himself following his parents’ passing in the DC plane crash:
“All I wanted to do in that moment was lay in my bed or lay on my couch and just rot, essentially,” Naumov said. “And it was a moment where I knew that the complete opposite of that was the path.“
Naumov has now flown to Milan to represent the USA at the Winter Olympics. Figure Skating events will be held at the Milano Ice Skating Arena from February 6 onwards.
It is worth noting that Maxim Naumov’s parents, Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, were themselves world champions and two-time Olympians.
