Figure Skater Honors Late Parents at Milan Olympics

When Maxim Naumov stepped onto Olympic ice in Milan on Tuesday night, he brought more than just his skates. He carried an old photograph of himself as a little boy, standing between his parents on the ice for the very first time.

His parents, Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, were former pairs world champions who died in the American Airlines Flight 5342 crash on January 29, 2025. The tragedy claimed 67 lives, including more than two dozen members of the figure skating community.

One of the last conversations the 24-year-old had with his mom and dad was about what it would take to make the Olympics. That dream seemed impossible in those first weeks after the crash, when Naumov could barely get out of bed.

"I just wanted to rot, basically," he told the Associated Press. But he willed himself to rise anyway, finding purpose in lacing up his skates again.

Tuesday night, that purpose paid off. Naumov opened with a quad salchow, followed by a triple axel and a triple lutz-triple toe loop combination. As the final notes of Chopin's "Nocturne No. 20" filled the Milano Ice Skating Arena, he slid to his knees and looked skyward.

"Look at what we've done," he told his parents.

The crowd rose to their feet as dozens of American flags waved through the arena. His godmother, Gretta Bogdan, watched from the stands. One fan held up a flag reading "Tomorrow's Champions," the name of the skating school his parents founded in Boston and that Naumov now runs.

Why This Inspires

Naumov's score of 85.65 wasn't about perfect execution or medal chances. It was about something deeper: the power of love to carry us through impossible grief.

"I wasn't thinking about executing anything perfectly," he said. "I wanted to go out there and just give my heart out."

The plane that took his parents also carried 11 young skaters, two other coaches, and several family members returning from a development camp in Wichita, Kansas. Naumov had flown out earlier, right after finishing fourth at nationals for the third straight year.

Now he stands at the Olympics, having finished third at U.S. championships in January to secure his spot. He'll compete again Friday night in the men's free skate, carrying that same photograph and that same dream.

"With every glide and step that I made on the ice, I couldn't help but feel their support," Naumov said. His parents may not be in the stands, but their presence filled every moment on the ice where it all began.