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Figure skater Maxim Naumov is marking the one-year anniversary of the tragic loss of his parents, who died in a mid-air collision above the Potomac River.
“I can’t believe an entire year has passed. It has unquestionably been the hardest year of my life,” Maxim, 24, shared on Instagram on Thursday, January 29, alongside a photo of his mother, Evgenia Shishkova, and father, Vadim Naumov. “Some mornings I wake up wondering why this happened. How could such a thing occur? What was the reason behind it? Why were they taken from me so soon?”
Maxim went on to say, “Regrettably, there seem to be more questions than answers. Yet, despite everything, I get up, put on my coat, and step out the door. Every single day. Because I have a mission to fulfill. I’m constantly reminded of the goal we set when I was just 5 years old. Together. As a family.”
The skater, recently selected for Team USA for the 2026 Winter Olympics following his performance at the 2026 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in early January, added, “Now, 19 years later, we’ve made it. We accomplished it.”
During the 2026 United States Figure Skating Championships, Maxim Naumov carried the memory of his late parents, Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, close to his heart. After completing his short program on Thursday, January 8, Maxim, 24, was seen in the “kiss-and-cry” booth awaiting his scores alongside coach Vladimir Petrenko. As he awaited the results, […]
Maxim concluded, “Мама и Папа, I love and miss you with all of my heart. Both of you have always been my superheroes. And now, you really are flying over me and protecting me. I pray that you are at peace. May god bless your hearts.”
Vadim, 55, and Evgenia, 52, who were the 1994 world figure skating champions in pairs for Russia, were passengers onboard American Eagle Flight 5342 when the plane collided with a United States Army Black Hawk helicopter in mid-air over the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. The crash was the deadliest on American soil in more than two decades.
Fourteen young figure skaters, their parents and coaches were among the 67 passengers aboard the flight, as they were on their way back from the 2025 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas.
Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov performing in 1994 Chris Cole/ALLSPORT
In a December 2025 response to a lawsuit filed by the family of one of the victims, the U.S. government admitted that it believes the actions of air traffic controllers and Army helicopter pilots played a role in the collision.
Three days before the crash, Vadim and Evgenia took to Instagram to express how proud they were of their son.
“Once again, Maxim made us all proud, getting on to the podium at Nationals after 7th place in the short,” the couple wrote. “This beautiful and emotional performance is a result of [teamwork]. Huge thanks to Serhii and Irina Vaypan and of course to Adam Blake for his wonderful choreography of a classic! Maxim has earned his place in the team of 4 Continents. 👏🏻👍🏻💪🏻.”
Figure skater Maxim Naumov is headed to the Olympics, almost one year after losing both his parents in the 2025 mid-air collision over the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. Naumov, 24, qualified by finishing third at the 2026 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in St. Louis on Sunday, January 11. “I thought of them immediately,” Naumov […]
Maxim, who had departed from Wichita a few days before the crash, said during a March 2025 Today interview that his mom called him before her death.
“It was actually the last thing that they said,” he said. “It was actually my mom that called me, and she said, ‘Hey, I just want you to know that we love you and we’re proud of you.’ It means everything to me. I mean, my whole life, a part of it was to make them proud.”