Sawt Falasteen - Figure skating in shock as athletes, coaches perish in US crash

Former Russian world pairs champions Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov and as many as 14 young American skaters perished when a plane collided midair with a US Army helicopter on Wednesday night above the US capital.

American Eagle Flight 5342 from Wichita, Kansas, plunged into the Potomac River, with President Donald Trump announcing Thursday there were no survivors.

Among those grief-stricken was Nancy Kerrigan, a former US women's champion and two-time Olympic and world medalist based in Boston, where the World Figure Skating Championships will be held in March.

"Not sure how to process it," she said, breaking down in tears. "When you find out you know some of the people on the plane, it's an even bigger blow."

Reigning world and US men's champion Ilia Malinin called it a "loss beyond words."

"It's just so heartbreaking," Malinin said. "It's still hard to process. It's emotional for me and all the figure skating community.

"All of us are really devastated. We're so sad... It's really hard to wrap our minds around it."

Doug Zeghibe, chief executive of The Skating Club of Boston, confirmed six club members were on the plane, including 1994 world pairs champions Shishkova and Naumov.

"To the best of our knowledge, 14 skaters returning home... were lost in the plane crash," said Zeghibe.

The passengers were returning from US Figure Skating's national development camp, conducted in Wichita following last week's US championships there.

"This camp is for young competitive stars of tomorrow with the most promise to be a champion of tomorrow," Zeghibe said.

US Figure Skating, in a statement, confirmed only that "several members of our skating community" were on the plane.

"We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims' families closely in our hearts."

Zeghibe said Boston skaters Jinna Han, 13, and Spencer Lane, 16, their mothers and Naumov and Shishkova were aboard the plane that crashed into the icy Potomac.

"I've never seen anyone love skating as much as these two and that's why I think it hurts so much," Kerrigan said of Han and Lane.

"The kids care. They work really hard to be here... it's just such a tragic event."

It also could mean a lost generation of champion talent.

Four-time US champion Brian Boitano, the 1988 Olympic men's champion, called the deaths "a huge loss for the sport" and added, "Any time there's a loss of these talented people like Spencer and Jinna... it really affects all of us. We're mourning their loss and we still have more people to find out about."

US Olympic and Paralympic Committee chief executive Sarah Hirshland said the US victims "represented the bright future of Team USA."

Naumov and Shishkova, who coached in Boston since 2017, will be missed, Boitano said.

"They were people producing champions of our future," he said.

- 'Sadness beyond words' -

Congressman Suhas Subramanyam of Virginia posted on social media that among those killed was Russian skating coach Inna Volyanskaya.

Alexandr Kirsanov, another Russian coach, was on the plane, according to his wife Natalya Gudin, who told ABC News she has "lost everything."

The Philadelphia Skating Club said "beloved members" died in the crash and University of Delaware president Dennis Assanis said two young skaters from UD's Skating Club were believed to have been on the doomed flight.

The accident revived memories of a February 1961 tragedy involving the US figure skating squad, half of which were Boston club members according to Zeghibe.

The entire 18-member team bound for the world championships in Prague was killed when their plane crashed as it prepared to land in Brussels.

Naumov and Shishkova have a 23-year-old son, Maxim Naumov, who won the 2020 US junior men's title and placed fourth at last week's US nationals. Zeghibe said Maxim Naumov was not aboard the plane.

International Skating Union president Kim Jae-youl said "the world of figure skating is heartbroken," adding: "To lose so many members of our community in this way brings sadness beyond words."

A moment of silence was observed Thursday at the European Figure Skating Championships in Estonia.

S.AbuJamous--SF-PST