Maxim Naumov’s parents were on the flight that crashed on Wednesday in Washington, D.C.
Naumov is a three-time U.S. national pewter medalist and the 2020 U.S. junior national champion.
Highlights
- Maxim Naumov won his third consecutive pewter medal at the 2025 U.S. Championships.
- Naumov was born to his father, Vadim Naumov, Evgenia Shishkova. His parents were Russian skating coaches killed in the American Airlines crash on January 29, 2025.
- Naumov’s parents won their first world bronze medal at the 1993 World Figure Skating Championships.
He started skating at age five after being inspired by his parents. Maxim made his junior international debut at the 2017 Philadelphia Summer International, where he won the silver medal behind Ryan Dunk.
Naumov appeared twice on the Challenger circuit, finishing fifth at the 2022 CS Budapest Trophy and the 2022 CS Warsaw Cup.
Recently, he won his third consecutive pewter medal at the 2025 U.S. Championships in Wichita.
His only notable error came in the free skate when failing to execute his planned quadruple Salchow jump, which he said he was “definitely bummed about” but added, “I’m overall happy with how I did everything.”
Maxim Naumov’s Parents Lost Their Life In American Airlines Crash
Maxim Naumov, 23, was born on August 1, 2001, in Hartford, Connecticut, United States, to his father, Vadim Naumov, and his mother, Evgenia Shishkova who tied the knot in August 1995 and moved to Simsbury, Connecticut, in 1998.
On January 29, 2025, Naumov and Shishkova were American Eagle Flight 5342 passengers. They died when a U.S. Army Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter collided with the place while the jet was on approach to land at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
They were returning from Wichita, Kansas, where they had been coaches at the 2025 U.S. Figure Skating Championships.
The Skating Club of Boston lost six skaters in the crash. Max was not on board the plane, which had left Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport on January 27, 2025, after competing in the championships and finishing fourth place.
Currently, Maxim is mourning the tragic loss of both his parents. Their fans and relatives have poured their heartfelt condolence to Maxim to stay strong in this challenging time.
Vadim, 55, and Evgenia, 52, were born in Leningrad, Soviet Union (now St. Petersburg, Russia).
They quickly rose, winning the 1991 European Figure Skating Championship bronze medal. The following season, they competed at the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, finishing fifth.
Evgenia and Vadim won their first world medal, a bronze at the 1993 World Figure Skating Championships, making them contenders at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer.
They finished fourth, just off the podium, behind compatriots Ekaterina Gordeeva, Sergei Grinkov, Natalia Miskutionok, and Artur Dmitriev.
With those two couples retiring after the Olympics, Evgenia and Vadim claimed the gold medal at the 1994 World Championships ahead of 1994 Olympic bronze medals Isabelle Brasseur and Lloyd Eisler.
However, they did not make the 1998 Winter Olympic team for Russia. In 1998, they decided to retire from the ISU competition and skate as professionals.
They officially retired in 1998 and transitioned into coaching, working at the International Skating Center in Simsbury, Connecticut, northwest of Hartford.
In February 2017, they moved to Norwood, Massachusetts, west of Quincy, and became coaches for the Skating Club of Boston.
Additional Information
- Naumov’s favorite skaters are Olympic champions Evgeni Plushenko, Yuzuru Hanyu, and his parents.
- With the coronavirus pandemic raging, Naumov was assigned to make his senior Grand Prix debut at the 2020 Skate America, an event in Las Vegas for skaters training in the United States. He placed eighth at the event.
- Maxim is the 2013 U.S. national juvenile and the 2017 U.S. national novice champion, as well as the 2016 U.S. national movie and 2018 U.S. junior bronze medalist.
