Maxim Naumov Offers Up Heartfelt Tribute to Parents Who Died in D.C. Plane Crash
The figure skater fell to his knees and broke down after skating in honor of his parents, Evgenia “Zhenya” Shishkova and Vadim Naumov.
For years, figure skater Maxim Naumov’s parents had been his biggest supporters, but Sunday the grief-stricken athlete took the ice at “Legacy on Ice” alone.
Maxim’s parents, skating coaches Evgenia “Zhenya” Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, were among the 67 people who lost their lives January 29, when a plane they were traveling in collided with a military helicopter just minutes before it was scheduled to land in Washington, D.C.
The 23-year-old honored their legacy at the fundraising event Sunday, March 2 by skating to their favorite song, then falling to his knees on the ice and sobbing, according to The New York Times.
The heartbreaking moment brought the audience to tears as they leapt to their feet to give Maxim a standing ovation.
“It really put me to tears and it put a lot of us to tears,” 2024 Men’s World Champion Ilia Malinin told The Associated Press of the powerful performance. "I was really just proud of him for being able to kind of wrap his mind around this and really just get on that ice and perform with everything he’s got.”
His Russian-born parents Shishkova and Vadim Naumov once took home gold in the figure skating pairs competition in the 1994 World Figure Skating Championship, but later transitioned to teaching a new generation of skaters as coaches with the Skating Club of Boston.
They were on their way back from a development camp for young skaters in Wichita, Kansas, along with 26 other members of the figure skating community, when American Airlines flight 5342 collided with the helicopter, killing everyone aboard both aircraft.
Figure skater Isabella Aparicio also offered up her own moving performance in honor of her father Luciano Aparicio and brother Franco Aparicio, who were among the crash victims. The 13-year-old skated to a recording of her father Luciano playing Pachelbel's Canon in D, before she fell to her knees in center of the ice and buried her face in her hands as the audience leapt to their feet.
What is “Legacy on Ice”?
The two grieving skaters were joined by other influential members of the skating community, who banded together Sunday in Washington, D.C. to perform in “Legacy on Ice,” a charity event aimed at raising money for all the victims and first responders impacted by the tragedy.
The event included performances by Malinin, national champion Amber Glenn, and legends Kristi Yamaguchi, Nancy Kerrigan, Brian Boitano, Scott Hamilton and Peggy Fleming.
Olympics commentator Johnny Weir even came out of retirement, after announcing in 2023 he was done performing, for the event, performing in a somber black costume to the song “Memory” from the Broadway musical “Cats.”
Weir, who now coaches young skaters, said he made the decision to make the ice once again to support the young skating community, many of whom lost their friends or coaches in the tragedy.
“Imagining that it could have been their mom or their family on the plane, it’s just devastating,” Weir told The New York Times. “I could never say that this event brings closure, but it shows the kids I work with every day that great skaters can get torn up about things and still show up for others. It’s OK to be sad.”
Olympians Ashley Cain and Gracie Gold had been coaches at the development camp the victims had attended and also tearfully performed in their honor.
“Every time I step on the ice, I’m thinking about them and skating for them,” Cain told the Times of the students she lost. “One of my last moments with them was them having fun and dancing on the ice, and letting down their walls to show us who they really were. I will never forget that.”
“Legacy on Ice,” raised an estimated $1.2 million for the families of the victims and the first responders, according to the AP.
The moving event is available to stream now on Peacock, and NBC will air an encore performance on March 30.
