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Figure Skater Maxim Naumov Shares Heartbreaking Last Message from Parents Killed in Washington D.C. Plane Crash
Maxim Naumov, a figure skater, has spoken about the tragic final communication he received from his parents before their deaths in the devastating Washington D.C. plane crash earlier this year. The mid-air collision involved an American Airlines flight and a helicopter, resulting in a deadly incident that claimed many lives.
Married Russian figure skating duo Evgenia Shishkova, 52, and Vadim Naumov, 55, were among the 67 individuals who perished when American Airlines Flight 5342 collided in mid-air with a Black Hawk helicopter on January 29. The catastrophic incident occurred over Washington D.C., sending shockwaves through the skating community and beyond.
There were no survivors from the crash, which resulted in both the commercial airplane and the military helicopter plunging into the icy Potomac River. The bodies of Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov were recovered two days after the unfortunate accident.
Maxim, 23, was not aboard the flight and has since been grappling with immense grief following the loss of both his parents.
Nearly two months after the devastating event, the son of Evgenia and Vadim disclosed that his parents had changed their flight to Flight 5342 that evening and had requested him to collect them from the airport upon arrival.
‘My mom informed me of their flight change and asked if I could pick them up,’ he stated in an interview with Today.
Maxim Naumov has opened up on the heartbreaking final message he received from his parents before they were killed in the fatal Washington DC plane crash earlier this year
Married Russian skaters Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov were among the 67 killed
‘My mother always texts and calls as soon as they land.’
Following the tragedy, Maxim has received support from Ekaterina ‘Katia’ Gordeeva, a former teammate and close friend of his deceased parents.
Shishkova and Naumov were competitors alongside Gordeeva and her late husband Sergei Grinkov at the 1994 Olympics. Gordeeva and Grinkov achieved Olympic Gold in both 1994 and 1988.
While Shishkova and Naumov did not reach the podium at the Lillehammer Winter Games, their prominent career highlight occurred just a month later in 1994 when they were crowned World Champions in Chiba, Japan.
They also secured silver and bronze medals in the 1995 and 1993 editions of the same championship, respectively.
After their ice skating careers, Shishkova and Naumov reportedly relocated to the U.S. in 1998 to become coaches.
They were traveling back to Washington D.C. on Flight 5342 with a group of young skaters after attending the US Figure Skating Championships in Kansas.
Maxim has revealed his parents changed flights that evening and asked him to pick them up
Maxim had also participated in the event in Kansas, finishing fourth, but had departed earlier than his parents on a separate flight.
‘They were wonderful individuals. They were incredibly kind,’ Maxim reflected on his late parents.
‘The only path [through grief] is forward. There is no alternative route. The only option is to continue moving on.’
‘I no longer possess the strength, passion, drive, or dedication of just one person. It now represents three people.’