US figure skater Maxim Naumov honors late parents in emotional Olympic performance

United States fig skater Maxim Naumov delivered an affectional show successful his Olympic debut connected Tuesday, honoring his precocious parents who died successful a tragic level clang past year.

There wasn’t a adust brace of eyes astatine the Milano Ice Skating Arena connected Tuesday night, arsenic Naumov fulfilled a imagination helium had alongside his parents, erstwhile pairs satellite champions Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, who were among the 67 radical killed erstwhile a subject chopper collided midair into American Airlines Flight 5342 successful Washington D.C. successful January 2025.

Naumov, 24, was expected to beryllium a agelong changeable to adjacent ace the apical 10 astatine this year’s Olympics, fto unsocial medal. But helium delivered rather the amusement that resulted successful a afloat lasting ovation, arsenic helium looked up astatine the entity and said, "Look astatine what we’ve done," per ESPN.

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Maxim Naumov of Team United States reacts aft competing successful the men’s singles skating abbreviated programme connected time 4 of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games astatine Milano Ice Skating Arena successful Milan, Italy, connected Feb. 10, 2026. (Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

"I didn’t cognize if I was going to cry, grin oregon laugh," Naumov said aft his abbreviated programme resulted successful a people of 85.65 — bully for 12th and having him suffice for the adjacent round.

Naumov skated to "Nocturne No. 20," and helium couldn’t person been happier with his performance, knowing his parents were with him successful spirit.

FIGURE SKATER MAXIM NAUMOV MAKES US OLYMPIC TEAM ONE YEAR AFTER LOSING BOTH PARENTS IN TRAGIC DC PLANE CRASH

"I’ve been inspired by them since time 1, ever since we stepped connected the crystal together," Naumov, who was holding an aged photograph of himself and his parents connected the crystal unneurotic successful the kiss-and-cry portion aft dedicating his show to them.

Naumov’s parents were among a contingent of U.S. fig skaters, coaches and household members who tragically passed distant from the clang aft leaving a developmental campy successful Wichita, Kansas aft the 2025 nationalist championships. Naumov was connected an earlier flight.

Maxim Naumov of Team United States competes successful the men’s singles skating abbreviated programme connected time 4 of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games astatine Milano Ice Skating Arena successful Milan, Italy, connected Feb. 10, 2026. (Elsa/Getty Images)

Three days earlier being named to the U.S. Olympic team, Naumov was affectional aft skating successful their grant astatine the U.S. Championships, wherever helium held up the aforesaid representation of himself arsenic a 3-year-old lad with his parents connected either broadside of him.

"Sharing the vulnerability with the assemblage and maine feeling their vigor backmost has been thing I retrieve for the remainder of my life," Naumov said to reporters aft his skate that solidified his spot connected the U.S. team. "It’s what my parents and I — 1 of our past conversations was astir precisely that, and you know, it would mean the satellite to maine to bash that. That’s what we’re warring for."

As helium took the ice, Naumov said that being excessively method astir his show wasn’t the thought process.

His effort level was each that mattered — nary substance the result.

USA's Maxim Naumov holds a representation of his parents, who died successful a level clang past year, aft competing successful the fig skating men's singles abbreviated programme during the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympic Games astatine Milano Ice Skating Arena successful Milan connected Feb. 10, 2026. Naumov's parents Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova died aft a midair collision of an American Airlines level and a US Army chopper successful Washington DC connected Jan. 29, 2025. (WANG Zhao / AFP)

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"I wasn't reasoning astir executing thing perfectly oregon thing similar that. I wanted to spell retired determination and conscionable springiness my bosom out. Leave everything retired there. Have nary regrets. And that's precisely what I felt," helium said, per ESPN.

Naumov volition execute again during the men’s escaped skate connected Friday night.

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