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Tag: skaters

Olympic medalist Scott Hamilton recalls final meeting with champion Russian skaters days before plane crash

Olympic gold medalist Scott Hamilton held back tears on Friday as he remembered the victims from the figure skating community who died after an American Airlines flight traveling from development camp in Kansas to Washington, D.C., collided with an Army helicopter in midair late Wednesday night.

The four-time men’s singles world champion spoke fondly of the victims during an appearance on TODAY but called the reality of this week’s tragedy “overwhelming.”

Figure Skater Scott Hamilton of the United States competing in the figure skating competition in the XIV Olympic Winter Games circa 1984 in Sarajevo, Bosnia. ( Focus on Sport/Getty Images)

“For this to happen just days after those championships were over is just devastating, shocking – it just doesn’t make any sense. . . .We’re no stranger to tragedy but this was just beyond devastation.”

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Officials have said that 14 skaters, coaches and family members were aboard American Airlines Flight 5342 when it collided with a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter near Reagan Washington National Airport, near D.C., at around 9 p.m. local time.

Many of the victims have been identified, including Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, the renowned ice skating coaches who won a world championship title together in 1994.

World champions Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov of Russia execute a throw during the pairs short competition at the World Figure Skating competition in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, on March 19, 1996. (Dave Buston/The Canadian Press via AP, File)

YOUNG FIGURE SKATING SISTERS FROM VIRGINIA AMONG VICTIMS KILLED IN DC PLANE CRASH

Hamilton became emotional when he spoke of the couple, who settled in America to become coaches following their successful career, which culminated in two Olympic appearances. He saw them just days before the crash while attending the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Kansas.

“I actually sat with them for a nice visit in Wichita,” Hamilton recalled Friday.”

“To think that they’re gone is, um, I can’t wrap my head around the last 36 hours. It’s just been devastating, and the loss is just beyond description. My heart is shattered.”

Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov of Russia perform during free skating in the pairs event of the NHK Trophy International Figure Skating Competition at Nagoya, Japan, on Dec. 9, 1995. AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi, File

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Shishkova and Naumov married in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in 1995, and they moved to Connecticut. They had a son, Maxim, who competed in men’s singles in the U.S. He was in Kansas but did not travel back with his parents. The Russian pair were coaches for the Skating Club of Boston.

Sixty passengers and four crew members on the American Airlines plane and three soldiers aboard a training flight on the helicopter are presumed dead.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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January 31, 2025
Skaters killed in plane crash were Olympic hopefuls, peers say: ‘Absolutely remarkable’

Emotions were running high at The Skating Club of Boston Thursday after six people with ties to the organization died in a plane crash near Reagan International Airport Wednesday night.

Among those who spoke were Olympic silver medalist Nancy Kerrigan, who couldn’t hold back tears while talking about the crash.

President Donald Trump said there were no survivors after an American Airlines jet collided with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter.

The plane was carrying 64 people, among them teenage skaters Jinna Han and Spencer Lane, their mothers Jin Han and Christine Lane and their coaches Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov.

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Spencer Lane was a figure skater at The Skating Club of Boston. (Imagn)

Three members of The Skating Club of Boston — Misha Mitrofanov, Jimmy Ma and Alisa Efimova — also spoke of their peers, who they say were the next generation of hopeful U.S. Olympians.

“The potential that they showed on the ice and the capabilities they had at such a young age showed that they had promise for the future of this sport,” Mitrofanov, whose partner is Efimova, told reporters Thursday.

Mitrofanov and Efimova had just won the 2025 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas, in the pairs discipline. That’s where the American Airlines flight was coming from. Han and Lane were returning from a developmental camp over the weekend.

OLYMPIC GREAT NANCY KERRIGAN FIGHTS THROUGH TEARS AS SHE TALKS ABOUT VICTIMS IN TRAGIC PLANE CRASH

“The camp basically brings them in for the championships so that they can watch, for example, Jimmy, or at least an ice skate at a championship level,” Mitrofanov said. “Afterwards, they are part of a fairly strict routine. … Lot of training, lots of drills and exercises that the U.S. Figure Skating wants to see.”

Han, 13, and Lane, 16, were chosen for the developmental camp because of the promise they showed, and Ma was blunt about just how promising these two skaters were.

“Absolutely phenomenal,” Ma said. “If I was their age back when I was their age, they would blow me out of the water. Even Jinna, at 13 years old, I couldn’t do anything. She was already 10 times better than me at such a young age.

Jimmy Ma skates during the 2025 U.S. Figure Skating Championships at Intrust Bank Arena. (William Purnell.Imagn Images)

“They showed championship-level skating. It would take time for them to develop to maximize their full potential. But the amount they were able to achieve in such a short amount of time was absolutely remarkable.”

Efimova said the campers were spotted in the crowd in the red jackets they would wear, and as she worked along with Mitrofanov to win in pairs, she used their cheering as motivation.

“They all have these red jackets, so you can really, really identify this community during the competition, which helps me personally a lot to bring a lot of joy into skating,” Efimova said.

Ma also pointed out how great Shishkova and Naumov, winners at the 1994 world championships in pairs while competing in two Olympic Games, were as coaches.

“Their meticulousness in developing young skaters is almost unparalleled,” Ma explained. “You could tell by their son, Max, who I consider not just a friend, but a fierce competitor. I look at him every day, I’m like, ‘Damn, I got to do better.’ That was all them.”

Evgenia Shishkova (left), Vadim Naumov (center) and Spencer Lane (right) were victims of the collision between an American Airlines jet and a U.S. Black Hawk helicopter. (Instagram/annehgoldbergbaldwin)

The Skating Club of Boston wasn’t the only figure skating community that was hit by this. The Philadelphia Skating Club & Humane Society posted on social media that “beloved members” of its team were on the flight. Skating coach Alexandr Kirsanov and two of his youth skaters were also aboard the fight, according to Kirsanov’s wife, per ABC News.

“U.S. Figure Skating can confirm that several members of our skating community were sadly aboard American Airlines Flight 5342, which collided with a helicopter yesterday evening in Washington, D.C.,” U.S. Figure Skating said in a statement. “We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims’ families closely in our hearts.”

As the figure skating world and others affected by the crash mourn the losses of loved ones, Mitrofanov said skaters will continue to train and compete with their “family” in mind.

Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov receive scores during the 2025 U.S. Figure Skating Championships at Intrust Bank Arena. (William Purnell/Imagn Images)

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“Watching these kids skate and watching their fire and love for the sport, that’s what helped us to, honestly, continue training,” Mitrofanov said. “Watching these kids develop helps us want to push ourselves as well. It’s a two-way street that they look up to us, but we also look up to them.”

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Scott Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital.

January 31, 2025
American figure skater’s eerie social media post sparks concern after plane collides with Army helicopter

An American figure skater’s social media post sparked concern about his whereabouts as it appeared he was on the plane that collided with a U.S. Army helicopter on Wednesday night.

Spencer Lane posted a photo on his Instagram while the American Airlines flight was on the runway at Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport. The plane appeared to be waiting to take off for Reagan International Airport near Washington, D.C.

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A boat works the scene near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025 in Arlington, Virginia. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

“ICT (to) DCA,” the post on his Instagram Stories read.

Lane did not post anything else after that. Another post on his Instagram Stories showed him warming up with Kohaku Murai. He had also shared a collage of pictures with other team members who were in Wichita, Kansas.

LIVE UPDATES: MILITARY HELICOPTER COLLIDES WITH AIRCRAFT NEAR REAGAN NATIONAL AIRPORT

Onlookers watch as emergency crews respond to the crash site near the Potomac River after a passenger jet collided with a helicopter while landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, on Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025. (Alex Wroblewski/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

U.S. Figure Skating said earlier Thursday that athletes, coaches and family members involved with its organization were on board the flight.

“U.S. Figure Skating can confirm that several members of our skating community were sadly aboard American Airlines Flight 5342, which collided with a helicopter yesterday evening in Washington, D.C.,” the organization said. “These athletes, coaches, and family members were returning home from the National Development Camp held in conjunction with the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas

“We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims’ families closely in our hearts. We will continue to monitor the situation and will release more information as it becomes available.”

Emergency vehicles stage at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Wednesday night, Jan. 29, 2025 in Arlington, Virginia. (Kevin Wolf/AP)

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Officials said Thursday they didn’t think there were any survivors.

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Ryan Gaydos is a senior editor for Fox News Digital.

January 30, 2025
World champion Russian figure skaters aboard flight involved in midair collision, Kremlin says

Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov were a Russian figure skating pair who competed in multiple Olympic Games and medaled in multiple world championships.

The Kremlin said Thursday the figure skating stars were among those aboard an American Airlines flight that collided with a U.S. Army helicopter near Reagan International Airport on Wednesday night.

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Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov were killed in a plane crash, the Kremlin said. (Reuters)

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Shishkova and Naumov were on the plane.

“Unfortunately, we see that this sad information is being confirmed. There were other fellow citizens there. Bad news today from Washington. We are sorry and send condolences to the families and friends who lost those of our fellow citizens who died in the plane crash,” he said.

It was Naumov’s coach who introduced the pair in 1985, wanting them to work together despite Naumov rebuffing the idea at first. They began to work together in 1987 and competed and won bronze in the 1991 European Championships while representing the former Soviet Union. The pair would go on to win two more bronze and silver medals in the event.

LIVE UPDATES: MILITARY HELICOPTER COLLIDES WITH AIRCRAFT NEAR REAGAN NATIONAL AIRPORT

From left to right, in pairs are silver medalists Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov of Russia, gold medalists Radka Kovarikova and Rene Novotny of the Czech Republic, and bronze medalists Jenni Meno and Todd Sand of the United States. (Reuters)

Shishkova and Naumov earned accolades on the world stage as well. At the 1993 World Championships, the two earned a bronze medal. The following year in Chiba, Japan, the two picked up their first gold medal. They finished with a silver in 1995 in Birmingham, United Kingdom.

The pair competed in the 1992 Olympics in Albertville, France, and the 1994 Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway. They finished in fifth in 1992 and fourth in 1994.

Shishkova and Naumov married in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in 1995, and they moved to Connecticut. They had a son, Maxim, who competed in men’s singles in the U.S.

German runner-ups in the pairs Mandy Wotzel, left, and Ingo Steuer (2nd L) with winners Evgenia Shishkova, right, and Vadim Naumov wave to fans in the awarding ceremony of the NHK Trophy Figure Skating Grand Prix in Nagoya, Japan. (Reuters)

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The Russian pair were listed as professional pairs coaches on the Skating Club of Boston’s website.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Ryan Gaydos is a senior editor for Fox News Digital.

January 30, 2025