Maxim Naumov stepped onto the ice in St. Louis this week carrying a photo of himself as a toddler, tiny skates on his feet, each hand clasped by his parents. One year after that same pair-Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova-died in a plane-helicopter collision over the Potomac, their son secured the third and final U.S. men’s berth for the 2026 Milan Winter Olympics.
At a Glance
- Maxim Naumov, 24, placed third at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, earning an Olympic spot.
- His parents, 1994 world pair champions, were among 67 fatalities in the January 2025 mid-air crash.
- Naumov competed this week holding a childhood photo with his parents, saying he “feels their presence.”
- Why it matters: The selection completes a poignant journey from tragedy to Olympic roster less than 12 months after the accident that rocked American figure skating.
Naumov finished behind four-time national champion Ilia Malinin and runner-up Andrew Torgashev during the Jan. 9-11 competition. The placement locked him into the 16-member U.S. Olympic Team announced Sunday, exactly one week before the anniversary of the crash that killed his parents and 25 others tied to the sport.
The Crash That Changed Everything
On Jan. 26, 2025, Naumov took fourth at nationals in Wichita, Kansas, and caught the first flight home. His parents stayed behind for a developmental camp. Their American Airlines jet collided with a military helicopter shortly after take-off from Reagan National, plunging into the Potomac. Twenty-eight victims were athletes, coaches, or skating parents, wiping out an entire generation of American pair talent and devastating the tight-knit community.
Naumov, suddenly orphaned, withdrew from public view. Friends later told News Of Losangeles he could not lace his boots for weeks, uncertain whether he would ever compete again.
Road Back to the Ice
Coaches at the Skating Club of Boston-where Vadim and Evgenia had taught since emigrating from Russia in 1998-cleared ice time so Naumov could skate alone at dawn. By summer he resumed training, motivated by a conversation he had shared with his parents the previous winter about what it would take to make an Olympic team. That talk, he said, became “one of the last” before their deaths.
He entered the 2026 nationals unranked by many analysts, having missed the entire Grand Prix season. Yet he landed two clean quads in Saturday’s free skate, scoring personal-best marks under the bright St. Louis lights.
Selection and Reaction
U.S. Figure Skating formalized the Olympic roster Sunday morning. Naumov, draped in a team jacket, raised the worn snapshot overhead during the announcement.
> “I thought of them immediately,” he said, voice cracking. “I wish they could be here to experience it with me, but I do feel their presence, and they are with me.”
Malinin, the heavy gold-medal favorite, hugged Naumov as the crowd rose for a standing ovation lasting more than a minute. Later, Naumov told reporters he had almost withdrawn days earlier because of nerves.
> “I came into this competition thinking how grateful I am to even have the ability to compete,” he said. “What I did yesterday-I don’t even have the words, honestly, of just what I had to overcome to be here.”
Olympic Schedule Ahead
Figure skating in Milan runs Feb. 6-19, with the men’s short program opening the individual events. Naumov will debut on Olympic ice exactly 379 days after the crash that altered his life. Malinin headlines the American contingent, while Torgashev and Naumov round out a squad hoping to reclaim U.S. men’s prominence for the first time since Evan Lysacek’s gold in 2010.
Naumov plans to carry the same childhood photo in his skate bag. Friends expect him to tape it inside the boards so it faces him during warm-ups.
Key Takeaways
- A third-place finish at nationals was enough to punch Naumov’s Olympic ticket in a deep American field.
- The selection caps a year of private grief and public resilience for a family already etched in skating history.
- With the Games weeks away, Naumov’s story has become an emotional rallying point for teammates still mourning the January 2025 tragedy.
The U.S. team departs for Italy on Jan. 30, commemorating the crash anniversary en route. Naumov said he will wear his parents’ initials on his costume and hopes to turn a page “they helped write.”
