Former Russian figure skating world champions Evgenia Shishkova, 52, and Vadim Naumov, 55, were among the passengers on a plane that crashed into the Potomac River after colliding with a military helicopter, Russian state media reported on Thursday.
The 1994 pairs skating world champions, who had been working as coaches in the United States since 1998, were returning from the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas. Russian media reported their son Maxim, who competed in the championships, may have also been aboard.
.S. Figure Skating confirmed that “several” members of the skating community were on the flight, including athletes, coaches and family members returning from a training camp held alongside the national championships.
CBS News reported that 18 bodies had been recovered from the crash site. The total number of survivors, if any, remains unclear.
“We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy”, U.S. Figure Skating said in a statement, adding that they would provide more information as it becomes available.
Russian news outlet Mash published a list of 13 figure skaters reportedly on board, many of them children of Russian immigrants to the United States. Former Soviet skater Ina Volyanskaya, a coach at the Washington Figure Skating Club, was also reportedly among the passengers, according to TASS.
Figure skater Luke Wang wrote on X: “Praying for everyone on the flight from Wichita to DC. Athletes and coaches were among the passengers. Absolutely devastating”. (incyprus)
