The world of figure skating is mourning an unspeakable loss following the devastating midair collision near Washington, D.C. Among the victims were beloved coaches and former world champions Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, whose lives were tragically cut short in the disaster.

As new details emerge about the catastrophic crash, the skating community, along with families of those aboard, faces an unbearable reality—many of the brightest young talents and their mentors never made it home.

U.S. Figure Skating confirmed that multiple athletes, coaches, and family members were on board American Airlines Flight 5342 when it collided with a military Black Hawk helicopter on the night of January 29. The flight had departed Wichita, Kansas, following the U.S. Figure Skating Championships and National Development Camp, which had served as a launching pad for future Olympic hopefuls.

Among those aboard were Russian-born skating legends Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, a married pair who won the 1994 world championship in pairs figure skating. Since 1998, they had lived in the United States, dedicating their careers to training the next generation of skaters. Read more bekiow