“I will never forget that”
Figure skating stars break out in tears at gala
Updated on 04.03.2025 – 12:32 p.m.Reading time: 2 min.
The flight 5342 crashed in Washington about a month ago. There were also figure skating stars on board, for whom a gala was now taking place.
In January, several ice skaters crashed in a plane crash in the US capital Washington. Now there was a gala in honor of the 28 victims of the ice skating community in the Capital One Arena. 15,000 spectators were present in Washington to duly adopt the dead figure skating stars. Tears flowed several times and there were touching moments, as the “New York Times” reports.
video | Aircraft accident meets figure skating world
At the end of his performance of the “Legacy on Ice” event, Maxim Naumov sinked and cried. The 13-year-old Isabella Aparicio also enchanted the audience. Her father Luciano and brother Franco were on board the crashed machine. Aparicio offered a performance to an old loudspeaker recording of her father, who plays the piano on it. Afterwards she also got on her knees and buried her face in her hands as she cried tears.
In addition to the sporting performance, the focus was also on the mental aspect. For example, Scott Hamilton, Olympic champion in 1984, prayed with those present and explained: “I just had to come here to pray because I was so crushed by grief.”
Olympic participant Ashley Cain, who was also on site, said about her deceased teammates: “Every time I stand on the ice, I think of you and run for you. One of my last moments with you was that you had fun and danced on the ice and dropped her walls to show us who they really were. I will never forget that.”
In addition, the focus was also on the financial support of the bereaved. Spectators paid around $ 28 per admission ticket, and NBC Sports also broadcast the event live on television. In total, more than $ 2.5 million came together. The money is to benefit the family members and relatives of the dead and, among other things, invested in therapy offers.