Washington (AFP) – Global figure skating’s tight-knit community was in mourning on Thursday after a passenger jet crash in Washington killed two former world champion coaches and stars from the next generation of top US talent. Former Russian world pairs champions Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, along with at least two other elite skating coaches and as many as 14 American skaters, were lost when a plane collided midair with a US Army helicopter on Wednesday night. American Eagle Flight 5342 from Wichita, Kansas, crashed into the Potomac River, with President Donald Trump announcing Thursday there were no survivors.
Among those grief-stricken was Nancy Kerrigan, a former US women’s champion and two-time Olympic and world medalist based in Boston, where the World Figure Skating Championships will be held in March. “Not sure how to process it,” she said, breaking down in tears. “When you find out you know some of the people on the plane, it’s an even bigger blow.” Added reigning world and US men’s champion Ilia Malinin: “I’m heartbroken by the tragic loss of my fellow skaters in this devastating accident. This loss is beyond words.”
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Doug Zeghibe, chief executive of The Skating Club of Boston, confirmed six club members were on the plane, including 1994 world pairs champions Shishkova and Naumov. “To the best of our knowledge, 14 skaters returning home…were lost in the plane crash,” said Zeghibe, who declared the disaster would have “long-reaching impacts” for the sport. Zeghibe said the passengers were returning from US Figure Skating’s national development camp, conducted in Wichita following last week’s US championships there. “This camp is for young competitive stars of tomorrow with the most promise to be a champion of tomorrow,” Zeghibe said.
US Figure Skating, in a statement, confirmed only that “several members of our skating community” were on the plane. “We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims’ families closely in our hearts.” The Skating Club of Boston said skaters Jinna Han, 13, and Spencer Lane, 16, their mothers, and Naumov and Shishkova were aboard the plane that crashed into the icy Potomac. “I’ve never seen anyone love skating as much as these two and that’s why I think it hurts so much,” Kerrigan said of Han and Lane. “The kids care. They work really hard to be here. Their parents work hard…it’s just such a tragic event.” It also could mean a lost generation of champion talent. “Our sport and this club have suffered a horrible loss with this tragedy,” Zeghibe said. “We’re devastated.”
US Olympic and Paralympic Committee chief executive Sarah Hirshland said, “These Olympic hopefuls represented the bright future of Team USA,” and “were remarkable young people and talents,” who will “forever hold a cherished place in the Team USA family.”
Congressman Suhas Subramanyam of Virginia posted on social media that among those killed was Russian skating coach Inna Volyanskaya of the Washington Figure Skating Club. Alexandr Kirsanov, another Russian coach, was on the plane, according to his wife Natalya Gudin, who told ABC News she has “lost everything.” The Philadelphia Skating Club said only that “beloved members” died in the crash. The accident revived memories of a February 1961 tragedy involving the US figure skating squad, half of which were Boston club members according to Zeghibe. The entire 18-member team bound for the world championships in Prague was killed when their plane crashed as it prepared to land in Brussels.
Naumov and Shishkova, who coached in Boston since 2017, will be missed, Kerrigan said. “To walk in here and not see (them) would be very strange for everybody,” she said. “And it’s going to be hard.” Naumov and Shishkova have a 23-year-old son, Maxim Naumov, who won the 2020 US junior men’s title and placed fourth at last week’s US nationals. Zeghibe said Maxim Naumov was not aboard the plane.
International Skating Union president Kim Jae-youl said “the world of figure skating is heartbroken,” adding: “To lose so many members of our community in this way brings sadness beyond words.” A moment of silence was observed Thursday at the European Figure Skating Championships in Estonia.
© 2024 AFP
