Maxim Naumov Used His Olympic Debut to Honor His Parents Who Died in D.C. Plane Crash

Naumov will skate in the free skate on Friday after earning a score of 85.65. | WANG Zhao / AFP via Getty Images

American figure skater Maxim Naumov's Olympic debut on Tuesday was beautiful in more ways than one.

In addition to his gorgeous short program on the ice, which earned a men's free skate-qualifying score of 85.65, Naumov opened his number with a moving jumbotron tribute to his parents, both of whom were killed in the American Airlines Flight 5342 crash in D.C. last January.

His message? "Mom and Dad, this is for you."

“Mom and Dad, this is for you.” — Max Naumov’s words on the big screen as he begins his short program at the Olympics. pic.twitter.com/vYFTSAwDwk

— Christine Brennan (@cbrennansports) February 10, 2026

After finishing his performance, the 24-year-old skater then held up a photo of himself and his parents while waiting in the so-called "kiss and cry" area. He grew visibly emotional as the announcer read out his scores.

Maxim Naumov is an Olympian, and ALWAYS will be! 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/KC3zFj5hjf

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) February 10, 2026

Making mom and dad proud ❤️

Nearly a year after his parents passed on Flight 5342, Maxim Naumov skated in their honor at the U.S. Championships.#MTUSA pic.twitter.com/AV31r2fVNU

— Team USA (@TeamUSA) January 9, 2026

Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova, Maxim's parents and former competitive skaters themselves, were among the 67 individuals killed in the devastating crash between a commercial flight and an Army helicopter in January of last year. Twenty-eight of those on board the AA flight were figure skating coaches, athletes, or parents on their way back from a development camp.

"Usually I'm a little jittery and kind of—I rush a little bit—and I felt none of that here," Naumov told reporters after his Tuesday performance. "The calm, the stillness, the confidence. I tried to lean as much into that as I possibly could."

He added: "I felt almost like a hand on my back pushing me forward and, just feeling my parents guiding me, from one element to another and just kind of keeping me grounded, almost like a chess piece on a chessboard from one element to another, but it was unlike any other feeling I've ever felt before."

Naumov will take the ice again during Friday's free skate, and he knows that his father—if he were here—would tell him to keep his eyes on the prize.

"[He would be] saying the job's not finished," the skater said, "and when we have a goal as a family on our minds, there's nothing that's going to stop us from getting there."

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