Figure skater shows photo and bursts into tears

Dramatic story

Figure skater holds up photo of his parents – and bursts into tears

After the free skate, Maxim Maumow bursts out: the figure skating star can no longer hold back his tears. A photo in his hands refers to a tragedy.

Ilia Malinin’s gala was almost irrelevant at the US Championships in St. Louis. While the figure skating world champion was warming up for the Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo (February 6th to 22nd), poignant scenes took place after Maxim Naumov’s short program.

The 24-year-old US athlete sat on the bench next to his coach Wladimir Petrenko on Thursday and, as usual, waited for the judges’ scores. But then the figure skater, who was born in Hartford, Connecticut, burst into tears. “I tried very hard to hold her back, but the tears will flow,” Naumov told US broadcaster NBC. “It’s really hard to keep my composure. I love [meine Eltern] and they are here with me.”

Naumov held up a picture of himself as a two-year-old child on the shoulders of his father, Vadim Naumov. His mother, Yevgenia Shishkova, sits next to him. Both were successful figure skaters. They won the gold medal in pair skating at the 1994 World Championships in Chiba, Japan. The US athlete kissed the picture and didn’t hold back his emotions. His parents died in a tragic plane accident near Washington DC in January 2025, when an American Airlines plane was rammed by a US military helicopter and crashed into the Potomac. None of the 67 people on board survived.

“I just think about them — their smiles, their laughs, what they say to me, their words — and replay it all over and over in my head,” he said. “I love her.” Naumov was celebrated by the audience at the US Figure Skating Championships. Everyone knew about the tragic story that the 24-year-old brought with him to the ice. His big goal was to get a ticket to the Winter Olympics. He applied for one of three open spots for the squad that will fight for medals in Cortina d’Ampezzo in February.

When the judges’ points came, it was clear that Naumow initially came fourth after the first round. It was initially noticeable that he was nervous during his short program on Thursday for Chopin’s “Nocturne Number 20”. He had a few wobbles, but then caught himself and improved his performance. “That was incredible, so powerful, so strong of him,” said superstar Malinin, paying respect to his competitor.