U.S. Figure Skater Who Lost Both Parents In DC Crash Has Internet In Tears With Emotional Olympic Debut

Fans of Olympic figure skating, the moment we've all been waiting for has finally arrived: Maxim Naumov's Olympic debut.

Naumov grew up on the ice at the International Skating Center of Connecticut in Simsbury, where both of his parents coached after their time together in the Olympics.

His parents were none other than Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova, world champions in pairs figure skating in 1994, and they were tragically killed in the American Airlines mid-air collision over D.C. at the beginning of January, 2025.

Despite his tremendous grief, Maxim Naumov vowed to see his and his parents' shared dream of him becoming an Olympic figure skater for Team USA come true.

Maxim Naumov's big debut came on Tuesday, February 10, 2026, at the Milan Ice Skating Arena, where he performed to Frédéric Chopin’s “Nocturne No. 20."

Naumov gave a beautiful and moving performance, and displayed on the screen at the end of his routine read the words:

"Mom and Dad, this is for you."

He earned a score of 85.65, which ultimately earned him fourteenth place for the day in the men's short program.

You can watch Naumov's debut here:

- YouTube youtu.be

After stepping off the ice, Naumov admitted:

"I didn’t know whether I was going to cry or smile or be happy."

"All I can do is look up to the sky and say, ‘We just did it.’”

He later said that he felt his parents' presence while he skated, claiming he felt the power of all three of them in one during his performance.

"As soon as I hit that first pose, usually my body is shaking really hard in that moment, and I tend to rush a lot, but this time, the ease, the smoothness of everything, the way I was setting up for everything, I felt like someone was just guiding me along the ice as I was going."

"I most definitely felt their presence.”

Figure skating enthusiasts were deeply emotional while watching Naumov's debut skate.

Naumov is in the fourteenth spot after his short program, and still has his long program to improve his rank.

But no matter what scores he takes home, he's already realized his and his parents' dream and won the hearts of countless fans.