When Maxim Naumov stepped onto the ice at the Milano Ice Skating Arena on Tuesday night, the world watched a young man skate not only for Olympic glory, but for the memory of his late parents, whose legacy shaped every glide and jump of his performance. The 24-year-old figure skater from Norwood, Massachusetts—born in Hartford, Connecticut—delivered an emotional and technically impressive short program at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, a year after losing his parents, Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, in a tragic accident that shook the global skating community.
For Naumov, the road to Milan was paved with heartbreak and resilience. His parents, both former pair skating world champions for Russia, had guided his journey from the moment he first stepped onto the ice as a five-year-old. Vadim and Evgenia, who married in 1995 after capturing the 1994 World Championship title and competing at the 1992 and 1994 Winter Olympics, moved to the United States after missing the 1998 Olympic team. They settled in Connecticut, coaching at the International Skating Center in Simsbury and later founding the Skating Club of Boston’s “Tomorrow’s Champions” school—a name that would echo poignantly in Milan.
On January 29, 2025, the Naumov family’s world changed forever. American Airlines Flight 5342, carrying Vadim, Evgenia, and members of the U.S. figure skating community home from a development camp in Wichita, Kansas, collided with a U.S. Army helicopter near Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C. The crash killed 67 people, including 28 skaters, coaches, and family members. Maxim, who had flown out earlier after finishing fourth for the third consecutive year at the U.S. Championships, was left to grieve not only his parents but also friends and mentors lost in the tragedy.
In the aftermath, Naumov admitted, “All I wanted to do in that moment was to lay in my bed or lay on my couch and just rot, essentially,” as he told USA Today. Yet, through immense grief, he found purpose again in skating. “The only way out is through. There’s no other way. There are no options but to keep going. I don’t have the strength or the passion or the drive, or the dedication of one person anymore. It’s three people,” he said in a March 2025 appearance on the Today show.
Determined to honor his parents’ dream, Naumov returned to training with renewed focus. He qualified for the U.S. Olympic team in January 2026 after placing third at nationals, a milestone he dedicated to his parents. “We did it. We absolutely did it,” he told NBC Sports. “Every year we talked about the Olympics. It means so much in our family. It’s what I’ve been thinking about since I’ve been five years old, before I even knew how to think or what to think. So, I can’t even say in words how much this means to me.”
On February 10, 2026, as the men’s singles short program unfolded in Milan, Naumov took to the ice second out of 29 competitors, his routine set to Chopin’s “Nocturne No. 20.” He opened with a powerful quad salchow, followed by a triple axel and a triple lutz-triple toe loop combination—his most technically demanding program to date. In the stands, his godmother Gretta Bogdan watched anxiously, while dozens of American flags waved and one banner read “Tomorrow’s Champions,” a tribute to his parents’ legacy.
As the final note faded, Naumov dropped to his knees, looked skyward, and held up a cherished childhood photograph of himself with his parents. His message on the Jumbotron said it all: “Mom and Dad, this is for you.” Reflecting on the moment, Naumov told reporters, “I didn’t know if I was going to cry, smile or laugh, and all I could do was look up at them. And man, I still can’t believe what just happened. I think it’s going to take me a few hours or maybe a few weeks to know.”
Naumov’s performance scored him 85.65—his season-best and enough to qualify for the men’s free skate scheduled for Friday night, February 14. The arena erupted in applause, recognizing not only the technical merit but the emotional weight behind each move. “I wasn’t thinking about executing anything perfectly or anything like that. I wanted to go out there and just give my heart out. Leave everything out there. Have no regrets. And that’s exactly what I felt,” Naumov shared after his skate.
Inside his Team USA jacket, Naumov carried his father’s favorite motto: “Expect the unexpected.” He explained, “This is my dad’s favorite quote. He kept saying to me, always, at every competition, at every hard turn, there’s always going to be things that are thrown at you in life. However big, however small, you gotta expect the unexpected and continue to move forward no matter what. And that’s exactly what we did the entire season—my entire 19 years of skating, all to this moment.”
Naumov’s American teammates also shone on the Olympic stage. Andrew Torgashev, from Coral Springs, Florida, delivered a strong performance with a score of 88.94, landing a quad toeloop, a triple flip-triple toeloop combination, and a triple axel. Torgashev admitted to battling nerves before his routine: “I was shaking. I was like, ‘Why did I wish this for myself?’ But once I got out there, the training just took over. I have so much muscle memory with this program and with these elements that no matter how much I doubt myself, I’ll always pull through.”
Gold medal favorite Ilia Malinin, a Virginia native, dazzled with a 108.16—posting the highest score of the night and including a back flip in his routine, a move not seen in Olympic competition for nearly 50 years. Malinin, who finished second in the team event just days earlier, praised Naumov’s courage and determination: “The strength and the bravery and honestly everything he has is just so heartwarming for me. I could not imagine myself in the situation but I’m so happy for him that he went out there and did as much as he can. He’s always a fighter and I knew that ever since I was skating with him when I was little. I feel so blessed for him and really just thankful that he’s still trying so hard no matter what happens.”
As the men’s figure skating competition heads toward the free skate, Naumov’s journey stands as a testament to perseverance, love, and the enduring bonds of family. While the medals are still up for grabs, one thing is certain: Maxim Naumov has already delivered a performance—and a story—that will be remembered long after the Olympic flame is extinguished.