Former Ice Skating Champions Die in Plane Crash Over Potomac River

Former world champion ice skaters Yevgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, who were married, were on an American Airlines plane that sadly crashed into the Potomac River in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday night. They had won the world championship in pairs figure skating in 1994 and lived in the United States since 1998, where they coached young skaters.

The couple was returning from a competition with a group of young skaters, many of whom were the children of Russian immigrants. Reports from Russia’s Mash news outlet say that a list of 13 skaters was made public, suggesting they might have been on the plane.

Inna Volyanskaya, a former figure skater from the Soviet Union and a coach for the Washington Figure Skating Club, was also on board, as confirmed by TASS news agency. There was some speculation that Maxim Naumov, the son of Shishkova and Naumov, who skated for the U.S., might have been on the flight. However, another competitor said he saw Maxim leave two days earlier.

US Figure Skating, the organization for figure skating in the U.S., announced that the athletes, coaches, and their families were coming back from a camp that took place alongside the US Figure Skating Championships in Kansas. They expressed deep sadness over the tragic event and sent their condolences to the victims’ families.

The Kremlin also shared its condolences for the Russian citizens who lost their lives in the crash, confirming Shishkova and Naumov were on the plane. “This is sad news from Washington. We mourn and extend our condolences to the families and friends,” said Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov.

The Russian Figure Skating Federation expressed its sympathies but did not provide more comments about the incident.

The crash happened when an American Airlines regional jet and a US Army Black Hawk helicopter collided in the air, causing both to crash into the Potomac River near Reagan Washington National Airport. Officials have not confirmed how many people died, but sadly, there may be no survivors.