On February 10, 2026, 24-year-old Maxim Naumov stepped onto Olympic ice for the very first time — a milestone he had dreamed about since childhood. But this moment, years in the making, carried a weight far greater than competition.
Just over a year ago, on January 29, 2025, Maxim’s parents — former world champion pair skaters Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova — were among the 65 victims killed in the tragic midair collision over the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. Twenty-eight members of the figure skating community were lost in the devastating accident.
For Maxim, the loss was unimaginable. His parents were not only his role models but also his lifelong coaches. They won the 1994 World Figure Skating Championship for Russia and later dedicated themselves to guiding their son’s career — always with one goal in mind.
“One thing they always told me was, ‘Everything is practice until it’s the Olympics,’” Maxim shared in an interview with the Today Show. “This is all to get ready for the Olympics.”
Now, standing on the Olympic stage as a member of Team USA, Maxim is fulfilling the very dream they spoke about every single day.
In a moving profile by The New York Times, Maxim reflected on the depth of his grief. “All I wanted to do in that moment was lay in my bed or lay on my couch and just rot, essentially,” he said of the days following the tragedy. “And it was a moment where I knew that the complete opposite of that was the path.”
That decision — to rise instead of retreat — has defined his journey.
He has carried his parents with him in quiet but powerful ways. Maxim often brings a childhood photo of himself with his mom and dad to competitions. At times, cameras capture him in the “kiss and cry” area gently kissing the photo as he waits for his scores — a private tribute in a very public arena.
Fans watching his Olympic debut saw more than a skater chasing medals. They saw resilience. They saw legacy. And many were reminded of old videos now circulating online — footage of a young Maxim skating beside his father, learning to jump “like a cricket” and spin “like a tiny tornado,” as his parents once taught him.
For Maxim Naumov, the Olympics are not just a destination. They are a promise kept — to his parents, to his childhood dreams, and to the belief that even in the face of overwhelming loss, the ice can still become a place of hope.
