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Life cut short: Shishkova and Naumov, Russian skating couple and 1994 world champions, were on crashed US plane

The couple, who had won the 1994 World Championship in pairs skating, had been living in the US since 1998 and were known for coaching young figure skaters

Reported by:  PTC News Desk  Edited by:  Jasleen Kaur -- January 30th 2025 06:29 PM
Life cut short: Shishkova and Naumov, Russian skating couple and 1994 world champions, were on crashed US plane

Life cut short: Shishkova and Naumov, Russian skating couple and 1994 world champions, were on crashed US plane

PTC Web Desk: On Wednesday night, a tragic incident occurred when an American Airlines plane collided with a US Army Black Hawk helicopter and crashed into the Potomac River near Reagan Washington National Airport. Among the victims were former world champions and Russian-born coaches in pairs figure skating, Yevgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov.

The couple, who had won the 1994 World Championship in pairs skating, had been living in the United States since 1998 and were known for coaching young figure skaters. They were returning from a competition and were reportedly accompanied by a group of skaters. According to Russia’s Mash news outlet, a list of 13 skaters was released, many of whom were children of Russian emigrants residing in the United States. It is believed that these young skaters were on board the ill-fated flight.


Reports also confirmed that Inna Volyanskaya, a former Soviet figure skater and coach at the Washington Figure Skating Club, was aboard the plane, as per TASS news agency.

There was speculation regarding the presence of Maxim Naumov, the son of Shishkova and Naumov, who represented the United States in figure skating. However, Anton Spiridonov, a competitor, told the Daily Mail that he had seen Maxim depart two days earlier.

The group was returning from the National Development Camp held alongside the US Figure Skating Championships in Kansas. US Figure Skating, the governing body for figure skating in the United States, expressed their sorrow, offering condolences to the victims' families. "We are deeply saddened by this horrific tragedy," the organisation said in a statement.

The Kremlin also conveyed its condolences to the families of the Russian nationals who were onboard, confirming that Shishkova and Naumov were indeed among the passengers. Dmitry Peskov, a Kremlin spokesperson, expressed his sadness, stating, "Other fellow citizens were on board. This is sad news from Washington. We mourn and extend our condolences to the families and friends."

The Russian Figure Skating Federation also issued a statement of sympathy but refrained from offering further details on the incident.

The collision involved a regional passenger jet and the Black Hawk helicopter, and while officials have not yet confirmed the exact number of fatalities, there are fears that there may be no survivors.

- With inputs from agencies

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