Washington DC plane crash: Figure skating mourns victims of US plane crash

Nancy Kerrigan reflects while talking with the media at The Skating Club of Boston. Photo / Getty Images

The close-knit world of figure skating was in mourning today after a passenger jet carrying athletes and coaches, including former Russian world pairs champions Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, crashed into Washington’s Potomac River.

The plane carrying 64 collided midair with a military helicopter as it was approaching Reagan National Airport in Washington DC on Wednesday evening, plunging into the freezing river.

Several members of the US figure skating community were also passengers, the sport’s national governing body confirmed.

Married couple Shishkova, 53, and Naumov, 56, were aboard the passenger jet, Russian news agencies report. They won the world championship in pairs figure skating in 1994 Photo / Chris Cole / ALLSPORT

They had been taking part in a training camp for top juniors that was held after the US championships, which took place in Wichita, Kansas, at the weekend.

Among those grief-stricken was Nancy Kerrigan, a former US women’s champion and two-time Olympic and world medalist based in Boston, where the World Figure Skating Championships will be held in March.

“Not sure how to process it,” she said, breaking down in tears. “When you find out you know some of the people on the plane, it’s an even bigger blow.”

Reigning world and US men’s champion Ilia Malinin called it a “loss beyond words.”

“It’s just so heartbreaking,” Malinin said. “It’s still hard to process. It’s emotional for me and all the figure skating community.

“All of us are really devastated. We’re so sad... It’s really hard to wrap our minds around it.”

“US Figure Skating can confirm that several members of our skating community were sadly aboard,” the national governing body said in a statement.

“We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims’ families closely in our hearts.”

Emergency response units search the crash site of the American Airlines plane on the Potomac River. Photo / Getty Images

Doug Zeghibe, chief executive of The Skating Club of Boston, confirmed six club members were on the plane, including 1994 world pairs champions Shishkova and Naumov.

“To the best of our knowledge, 14 skaters returning home... were lost in the plane crash,” said Zeghibe.

The passengers were returning from US Figure Skating’s national development camp, conducted in Wichita following last week’s US championships.

“This camp is for young competitive stars of tomorrow with the most promise to be a champion of tomorrow,” Zeghibe said.

US Figure Skating, in a statement, confirmed only that “several members of our skating community” were on the plane.

“We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims' families closely in our hearts.”

Zeghibe said Boston skaters Jinna Han, 13, and Spencer Lane, 16, their mothers and Naumov and Shishkova were aboard the plane that crashed into the icy Potomac.

“I’ve never seen anyone love skating as much as these two and that’s why I think it hurts so much,” Kerrigan said of Han and Lane.

“The kids care. They work really hard to be here ... it’s just such a tragic event.”

It also could mean a lost generation of champion talent.

Four-time US champion Brian Boitano, the 1988 Olympic men’s champion, called the deaths “a huge loss for the sport” and added, “Any time there’s a loss of these talented people like Spencer and Jinna ... it really affects all of us. We’re mourning their loss and we still have more people to find out about.”

Authorities in the US have not confirmed the identities of any of the victims but Russia’s state TASS and RIA news agencies cited anonymous sources as saying that Shishkova and Naumov were on board, as well as Inna Volyanskaya, a former pair skater who competed for the Soviet Union.

“The International Skating Union [ISU] and the global skating community are deeply shocked by the tragic accident,” the sport’s world governing body said in a statement.

“We are heartbroken to learn that figure skaters, along with their families, friends, and coaches, are understood to be among those on board.

“Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this tragedy.

“Figure skating is more than a sport. It’s a close-knit family and we stand together. We remain in close contact with US Figure Skating and offer our full support during this incredibly difficult time.”

Shishkova, 52, and Naumov, 55, competed at six world championships between 1991 to 1996, winning gold, silver and bronze medals.

The peak of their career was winning the 1994 pairs title at the world championships in Chiba, Japan.

They dethroned the Canadian title holders Isabelle Brasseur and Lloyd Eisler, who had deprived them of bronze at the 1994 Olympics a few weeks earlier.

Born in St Petersburg, the couple, who married in 1995, were known for their highly classical skating style.

They ended their careers after failing to qualify for the Nagano Olympic Games in 1998.

After becoming professionals, they moved to the United States to become coaches, first in Connecticut then in Boston since 2017.

Their 23-year-old son Maxim Naumov, the 2020 US junior champion, had recently placed fourth in the US national championships in Kansas. It is not known whether he was onboard.

In 1961, 18 members of the US figure skating team died in a plane crash while travelling to Prague for the World Championships.