Russian Figure Skating Champions Aboard Crashed Plane, State Media Reports
Two Russian figure skating World champions, Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, were aboard the American Airlines jet that collided midair with a helicopter near Washington, D.C., Russian state media reports confirmed.
Russian news agencies TASS and RIA Novosti, citing unnamed sources, identified the married pair as having been on the flight. The duo once dominated the pairs skating world and later worked as national team coaches for Russia. The outlets also reported that their son, Maxim Naumov, also a skater, may have been on the flight.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov acknowledged Russian nationals were among the victims but did not explicitly name anyone.
“Bad news from Washington today,” Peskov said in a briefing, adding: “We grieve and console with the families and friends who lost those of our fellow citizens who died in this plane crash.”
He later said that the “sad news is being confirmed.”
“We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims’ families closely in our hearts,” the Kremlin said in a statement. “We will continue to monitor the situation and will release more information as it becomes available.”
U.S. Figure Skating, the national governing body for the sport, confirmed that athletes, coaches, and family members were returning from the national development camp held in conjunction with the US championships in Kansas.
“Several members of our skating community” were among those aboard, the national governing body said in a statement that the passengers had been returning from the National Development Camp held alongside 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.”
A source also told Reuters that as many as 15 people on the flight may have been involved in figure skating.
Meanwhile, American-Russian figure skater Anton Spiridonov addressed rumors that he had been on the flight, assuring the public he was safe.
“Russian news outlets have included me on a list of presumed people on the flight,” he wrote on Instagram. “I was NOT on this flight. Thank you for everyone’s concern for my safety. My heart goes out to all the families affected by this tragedy.”
