On Jan. 29, 2025, American Airlines flight 5342 collided with a U.S. Army Black Hawk Helicopter above Washington D.C., killing 67 people. Among these victims were several figure skaters, coaches, parents, and children. 2 of the passengers were Vadim and Evgenia Naumov, a world champion figure skating pair from Russia and 2 time Olympians. The Naumov’s were returning from a national coaching development camp that happened to take place at the same time as the 2025 Prevagen U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas. The couple decided to quickly switch their flight at the last minute so they could make it in time to see their 24 year old son, Maxim Naumov, compete in this exact competition.
Prior to the accident, the Naumov parents trained Maxim in Boston for 21 years hoping he would follow in their Olympic-bound footsteps. After placing fourth at the 2025 Prevagen Championship and earning the Pewter Medal, Naumov fell one place short of qualifying for the U.S. World Championship Team. The next day, Maxim took a flight back home to Boston, only to find out that his parents, friends, and some of his previous coaches had died in a plane crash.
On top of this news, Maxim had a choice to make. After his performance at Prevagen, Maxim was invited to compete at the Four Continents Championships that would give him another shot at being on the U.S. World Championship Team. Naumov decided to withdraw from the competition and surrounded himself with his family and loved ones to grieve.
After a couple months, Naumov decided that he wanted to start training again. Maxim chose Vladimir Petrenko and Benoit Richaud as his new head coach and choreographer. Maxim’s training was an uphill battle, and as Naumov puts it, “It was difficult to begin to trust somebody, because there was never a question with my parents”. Maxim trained daily and soon received a bronze medal in the U.S. National Championships which earned him a spot on the U.S. Olympic team that would compete in the 2026 Italy Olympics.
Fast forward to the 2026 Olympics, after Maxim performed his figure skating piece, he was seen holding a 2004 picture of him and his parents on the ice. As his scores were being calculated, Maxim closed his eyes and kissed the photo in reverence. He stated, “…it’s the journey that I’m so proud of… I’ve had the privilege of being able to get perspective on certain things in life, especially in this year.” Although Maxim did not win the Olympics, he broke the record for his team by placing 14th and earning 137.71 points for his team.
