How Maxim Naumov credits ‘resilience’ for making Olympics after parents’ tragic plane crash

Maxim Naumov won't be figure skating alone at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

His parents will be watching, even though they won't be there. Naumov lost both his parents in a tragic plane crash in 2025.

Naumov made it to the United States Olympic team even after the worst day of his life.

“You know, it's just all about resilience," Naumov told Olympics.com. "It's all about being resilient. That's the feeling and the mentality that I've clung onto this entire season."

His mindset was the only one he could possibly have. He'd just have to overcome.

"I find that in times of really difficult emotional stress, if you can just push yourself a little bit more, almost think, 'What if? What if I can do it? What if - despite everything that happened to me - I can still go out there and do it?'" Naumov said.

Naumov did do it, and he'll begin his individual Olympic competition on Tuesday.

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What happened to Maxim Naumov's parents?

Naumov's parents were on American Airlines Flight 5342 on Jan. 29, 2025. The plane collided with a U.S. Army helicopter over the Potomac River, and everyone in both aircraft died.

The American Airlines flight had departed Wichita, Kansas, where the U.S. Figure Skating Championships were held, and so it had a number of figure skating-related people aboard.

"The thing that has brought me the most joy this year is the entire figure skating community," Naumov told Olympics.com. "I don't know what I do without it, honestly. I'm so grateful and thankful to be a part of this community, having people by my side and guiding me and helping me achieve the things that I want to do has made the biggest difference."

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Who are Maxim Naumov's parents?

His parents were named Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova.

They themselves both competed in the Olympics.

They also won a world championship in pairs figure skating together in 1994.

"Even still, now, they're helping and guiding me to where we need to go," Naumov said before these Games.

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