Figure skater makes U.S. Winter Olympic team after losing both parents in DC plane crash
Figure skater Maxim Naumov has found monumental success one year after a devastating tragedy.
The 24-year-old secured a spot on the 2026 Winter Olympic team this week, nearly a year after losing both parents in the tragic January 2025 Washington, D.C., area plane crash that killed 67 people.
"Dream come true ✨ Maxim Naumov is headed to his first Winter Olympics," read a post on X from the official Team USA account on Sunday, celebrating the accomplishment.
At the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, which took place in St. Louis from Jan. 4-11 and served as part of the selection criteria for the U.S. Winter Olympic team, Naumov paid tribute to his late parents, former 1994 World Figure Skating Champions Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova, holding up a photo of the three together as he awaited the results of his short program.
Naumov was selected to the men's Winter Olympic team alongside Ilia Malinin and Andrew Torgashev, with Jason Brown, Tomoki Hiwatashi and Jacob Sanchez as alternates.
The 2026 women's team selection includes Amber Glenn, Isabeau Levito, and Alysa Liu, with Bradie Tennell, Sarah Everhardt and Starr Andrews serving as alternates.
For pairs, the 2026 selection includes Emily Chan and Spencer Akira Howe, as well as Ellie Kam and Danny O'Shea, with Audrey Shin and Balazs Nagy, Valentina Plazas and Maximiliano Fernandez, and Chelsea Liu and Ryan Bedard serving as alternates.
Ice dancing teams named to the 2026 roster include Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko, Madison Chock and Evan Bates, and Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik, with Caroline Green and Michael Parsons, Emily Bratti and Ian Somerville, and Oona Brown and Gage Brown as alternates.
In a statement shared on the U.S. Figure Skating website Sunday, Naumov opened up on what he thought about after learning of his Olympic team selection.
"My parents, what we talked about and how much we discussed this through my entire life, and how much it means to us, and how much the Olympics is part of our family," he said. "I thought of them immediately. I wish they could be here to experience it with me, but I do feel their presence and they are with me."
Vadim Naumov and Shishkova were onboard the commercial jet that collided mid-air with an Army Black Hawk helicopter over the Potomac River in January 2025, killing all 67 people aboard both aircraft.
Passengers traveling aboard the commercial jet included a group of young skaters, their parents and their coaches returning home from a national figure skating development camp in Wichita, Kansas.
In March 2025, after performing at the Legacy On Ice U.S. Figure Skating Benefit -- a fundraising event held "to support families, loved ones and first responders affected by the aviation tragedy," according to a press release -- Naumov took to social media to show gratitude for the support given to him in the wake of the crash.
"I am truly at a loss for words to express the depth of my gratitude and love for each and every one of you. Every embrace, message, call, and prayer has touched me in ways I can't fully describe, and I am beyond grateful for your kindness and support," Naumov wrote at the time.
He continued, "Your love has filled my heart so profoundly that it brings tears to my eyes. The generosity and compassion you have shown have given me the strength to keep moving forward, one day at a time."
Naumov was the U.S. junior champion in 2020 and is a three-time U.S. pewter medalist. According to his official U.S. Figure Skating bio, he "first stepped on the ice at age 3, but began skating at age 5 and also competed in gymnastics during his first four years skating."
Naumov and Team USA will compete at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, which start Feb. 6.
