Two highly-regarded Russian figure skating coaches whose son recently finished fourth at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships were among those feared dead after an American Airlines flight collided with an Army helicopter and crashed into the frigid waters of the Potomac River Wednesday night.
U.S. Figure Skating confirmed that several skaters, coaches and family members were on the commercial flight after attending a development camp that followed the national championships that wrapped up Sunday in Wichita, Kansas.
“We are heartbroken to learn that figure skaters, along with their families, friends and coaches, are understood to be among those on board,” U.S. Figure Skating said in a statement. "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.”
The Kremlin confirmed that two of those believed to be dead were Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, who were well-known skaters in their own right after winning the pairs world title in 1994 in Chiba, Japan. The two-time Olympians later moved to the U.S., first as coaches at the International Skating Center in Connecticut and since 2017 at the Skating Club of Boston.
Among their students is their 23-year-old son, Maxim, the former U.S. junior champion. He has finished fourth at senior nationals the past three years, narrowly missing the podium Sunday while his parents watched at INTRUST Bank Arena in Wichita.
Skate Canada released a statement expressing its condolences, saying, "Our hearts are with U.S. Figure Skating, as well as the athletes, coaches, and families affected by this devastating incident. In this moment of profound grief, we stand in solidarity with our colleagues at U.S. Figure Skating and offer our unwavering support as they navigate this immeasurable loss."
There were 60 passengers and four crew members on the American Airlines flight and three soldiers aboard a training flight on the Blackhawk helicopter. There was no immediate cause of the collision, but officials said flight conditions were clear as the jet coming from Wichita was making a routine landing when the helicopter flew into its path.
“We are now at the point where we are switching from a rescue operation to a recovery operation,” John Donnelly, the fire chief in the nation’s capital, said in an update Thursday morning. “We don’t believe there are any survivors.”
The Skating Club of Boston, which is set to host the world championships in March, is among the best-known clubs in the world, producing numerous Olympic and world champs. Among them have been two-time Olympic champion Dick Button, Olympic gold medalist Tenley Albright, two-time Olympic medalist Nancy Kerrigan and Olympic silver medalist Paul Wylie.
Jimmy Ma, who finished fifth at the U.S. championships on Sunday, is among current athletes from the Skating Club of Boston.
This is the second time a plane crash has rocked the figure skating community.
On Feb. 15, 1961, a Boeing 707 traveling from New York to the world championships in Czechoslovakia crashed on approach in Brussels, Belgium, killing all 72 people aboard. That included all 18 members of the American team heading to worlds, along with 16 family members, coaches and skating officials that were on their way to support them in Prague.
Among those killed in that crash were former U.S. champion-turned coach Maribel Vinson-Owen and her daughters, 16-year-old Laurie Owen and 20-year-old Maribel Owen. Two weeks earlier, Laurie had won her first women's title and Maribel won her first pairs title at the national championships in Colorado Springs, Colo. They also represented the Skating Club of Boston.
The world championships were cancelled that year out of respect for the American team killed in the crash.
The European championships are taking place this week in Tallinn, Estonia. They were expected to continue as scheduled.
“The International Skating Union and the global skating community are deeply shocked by the tragic accident involving an American Airlines flight in Washington, D.C. We are heartbroken to learn that figure skaters, along with their families, friends, and coaches, are understood to be among those on board,” the ISU said in a statement. “We remain in close contact with U.S. Figure Skating and offer our full support during this incredibly difficult time.”
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AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports
Dave Skretta, The Associated Press
