Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naunov, both former world champions and twice Olympians in figure skating pairs, also worked as skating coaches. The married couple also had a son, who participated in the American national championships in Wichita, Kansas last week and finished fourth. He was not on the same flight.
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In a devastating outdoor collision between a jet of passengers and a helicopter of the US military on Wednesday evening, 67 people were killed, including 14 from the craft skating community. The victims of the skating community included 1994 world champions Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov of Russia.
Shishkova and Naumov, who worked as skating coaches, were twice Olympians and former world champions in the Paires event. They were also a married couple with a son who finished fourth last week at the national American championships in Wichita, Kansas. Their son was not on the same flight.
Shishkova and Numov Transile CARRIPTION
Shishkova and Naumov won a title of world champion together in pairs skating in 1994 and barely missed the Olympic medals that year at the Lillehammer Games before moving to the United States and coach of young skaters in New- England.
After their son Maxim Nauv patinated the national championships, 52 -year -old Shishkova and her 55 -year -old husband stayed in Wichita for a development camp for some of the country’s most promising young skaters.
On Wednesday evening, the American jet of airlines on which they were collided with an army helicopter near Washington and crashed into the icy waters of the Potomac river. There were 60 passengers and four crew members on the American Airlines flight and three soldiers aboard the Blackhawk helicopter. The hope of saving the survivors evaporated by Daybreak.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed Thursday morning that the pair had been on the plane, and the Boston skating club, where they had trained, said Shishkova and Naumov had been killed.
“We are sorry and send condolences to families and friends who have lost those of our fellow citizens who died in the plane crash,” said Peskov.
Two adolescent artistic skaters and their mothers affiliated to the Boston Club were also on the flight.
Lyudmila Velikova, the former coach of Shishkova and Naumov, told the Russian news agency TASS that she had been in contact with Shishkova and Naumov regularly and that they had spoken shortly before the last week event in Kansas.
“Everything was fine for them. They went to the main competitions in America and had very good worthy students, “said Velikova. “Many people wanted to work with them.”
Shishkova and Naumov have left Russia at the top of their careers
Shishkova and Naumov began to skate together in the 1980s in the Soviet Union and were twice Olympians, but the top of their career came in 1994 when they won a gold medal in the world championship together in Chiba, in Japan. It was a little more than a month after having barely missed medals at the 1994 Lillehammer Olympic Games.
“They were really remarkable. Remarkable and nice people, excellent coaches, great friends and wonderful parents “, American skaters Melissa Gregory and Denis Petukhov, who participated in the 2006 Turin Olympic Games and said they knew Shishkova and Naumov since nearby 30 years old, wrote on Facebook.
Shishkova and Naumov were part of many Russian skaters who looked for a new life as trainers in the United States after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Their profiles on the website of the Boston skating club said that everyone qualified as sports instructors in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and that everyone had at least 20 years of training in training. They had also led to the International Skating Center in Connecticut.
One of their best students was their own son, who won the American junior male title in 2020. He was appointed last week in the American team to compete at the four continent championships next month in South Korea And as an alternation for the world championships in Boston in March.
The Russian skating federation published a declaration of condolences on Thursday.
“The Russian Federation of Figure Skating, Russian skaters, coaches, judges and experts are shocked and deeply saddened by the tragedy that occurred in Washington,” the federation said in a statement. “We express all our sincere condolences to the families and friends of those who died, as well as the US Figure Skating Association, which has lost talented junior athletes and qualified coaches in this air disaster. Some of them were our compatriots and had made a significant contribution to figure skating (Russian). »»
With agency entries
