Who are Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov? Russian figure skaters were on board doomed American Airlines flight
Former Russian world champion figure skaters Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov were on board the doomed American Airlines plane that crashed in Washington DC.
Flight 5342, which had 64 people aboard, collided with a US Army Black Hawk helicopter as it made its final approach to Reagan Airport after 9pm ET Wednesday.
All passengers are believed to have died after the aircraft plummeted into the frigid Potomac River.
More than 30 bodies have been recovered for the freezing river early Thursday, with authorities saying there are no survivors although search efforts are still ongoing.
Shishkova, 53, and Naumov, 56, were travelling back to DC on the American Airlines flight after attending the US Figure Skating Championships in Kansas and were among scores feared dead.
Here, DailyMail.com takes a look at the lives and careers of the skating champion couple.
Russian figure skaters Yevgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov are reported to have been on board the American Airlines plane that crashed into a Black Hawk helicopter
Surveillance footage captured the moment the plane collided with the helicopter in Washington
Who were Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov?
Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov were Russian-born figure skating coaches, who had lived in the United States since at least 1998.
The couple, who married each other August 7, 1995, also competed alongside each other for many years until 1998.
Both born in Soviet Leningrad, Naumov, three years older than his partner, began skating at the age of 10 in 1979.
Just one year later, Shishkova also took to the ice at the age of 8, first training as an individual figure skater for three years before switching to pairs and teaming up with Naumov.
Ludmila Velikova, who trained Shishkova and Naumov when they were children and who was pivotal to their success, said she was devastated by the loss.
‘They were my favorite sports people. They were part of my first attempt at the world championships and became champions in 1994. They were talented and beautiful people,’ said Velikova.
‘Apart from anything else they were my children. Zhenya (Shishkova) trained with me from the age of 11 and Vladik (Naumov) from age 14. They were like my own children. What’s happened is awful. The best people have been taken away from us.’
The couple, who married each other August 7, 1995, also competed together until 1998
When did they compete?
The height of Shishkova and Naumov’s careers came in 1994 when they were crowned World Champions in Chiba, Japan.
They also claimed silver and bronze in the 1995 and 1993 editions of the tournament respectively.
In addition to their success on the world stage, they were also four-time European bronze medalists and two-time champions of Russia.
However, the duo failed to ever make it onto the Olympic podium. They competed just twice at the Winter Games, finishing fourth in the 1992 Albertville Olympics under the Unified Team banner and a disappointing fifth for Russia in Lillehammer just one month before their Worlds success.
They failed to make the Russian Olympic team for the 1998 Winter Olympics, and they retired from amateur competition to skate and coach professionally.
When did they come to the US?
Following their own careers on the ice, Shishkova and Naumov reportedly moved to the US in 1998 where they began coaching.
They moved to Simsbury, Connecticut and worked as pairs coaches at the International Skating Center of Connecticut, according to NewEngland.com. They later moved to the Skating Club of Boston in February 2017.
The couple trained a number of young American figure skaters, including 2005 US national pairs champions Katherine Orscher and Garrett Lucash.
Shishkova and Naumov won the world championship in pairs figure skating in 1994
They also claimed silver and bronze in the 1995 and 1993 World Championships respectively
Why were they onboard?
Shishkova and Naumov were travelling back to DC on Flight 5342 after attending the US Figure Skating Championships in Kansas.
US figure skating has confirmed that several skaters, coaches and their family members were on board the flight, and had been returning home from the National Development Camp which is held in conjunction with the national championships.
Shishkova and Naumov are believed to have been travelling with a group of young skaters, returning from the competition.
Russia’s Mash news outlet published a list of 13 skaters, many of them the children of Russian emigres to the United States, who it said may have been on the plane.
More than 180 athletes competed in the January 20-26 championships in Kansas, the organization said. The development camp was held January 27-28 for nearly 150 up-and-coming skaters across performance levels, the US Figure Skating website said.
The International Skating Union (ISU) said it was ‘deeply shocked by the tragic accident’.
‘We are heartbroken to learn that figure skaters, along with their families, friends, and coaches, are understood to be among those on board,’ the global governing body 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. We remain in close contact with U.S. Figure Skating and offer our full support during this incredibly difficult time.’
Their son Maxim Naumov, 23, a prominent Team USA skater, competed at the US Figure Skating Championships in Kansas. He is pictured with his parents – who are also his coaches – and finished fourth in the competition
Maxim has followed in his parents footsteps by becoming a figure skater (pictured in February last year competing in Shanghai, China)
Did they have children?
Shishkova and Naumov welcomed their son, Maxim, in August 2001.
The 23-year-old had competed in Kansas, where he placed fourth. However, it is unclear if he was onboard Flight 5342 with his parents.
According to a report in Moscow, Evgenia and Vadim told Maxim that were ‘proud’ of him after he took fourth place in the competition a couple of days prior to the crash.
‘We are proud of you, Maxim,’ the couple said in a social media post shared by Sankt-Peterburgskie Vedomosti, Russia’s oldest newspaper.
‘He climbed to the podium at the Nationals after seventh place in the short program. This beautiful and emotional performance is the result of teamwork. Maxim has earned his place in the team of champions of four continents.’
Maxim, who was coached by his parents, began skating at the age of 5 and is a three-time US national pewter medalist and the 2020 US junior national champion.
