After tragedy: Maxim Naumov’s faith-filled Olympic bid

There’s a moment in figure skating that transcends sport: when blades cut into ice, music begins, and a story unfolds without a single spoken word. It’s in that space — between breath and beat, momentum and stillness — that figure skating reveals its deeper poetry: the courage to rise, risk, fall, and rise again. And the incredible story of 24-year-old American figure skater Maxim Naumov upholds this courage, both on and off the rink.

Naumov’s journey to the 2026 Winter Olympics has been extraordinary — not only for the medals or the competition, but for how he arrived there. His beloved parents, Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, were not only world-class pair skaters — they were his first coaches, his guides, and the heartbeat behind his lifelong dream.

However, on January 29, 2025, they were among the 67 people tragically killed when American Eagle Flight 5342 collided mid-air with a U.S. Army helicopter near Washington, D.C.

The loss of not just his parents but his mentors and closest supporters could have ended Naumov’s skating career before it truly began. As he told People, in the wake of their deaths, he was reticent to even try for the Olympic team. However, somehow, the young skater managed to find the courage to take to the rink once more on a competitive level.

Naumov's return to the ice began with a performance at Legacy on Ice in April, where he moved crowds as he fell to his knees in tears at the end. And in his second piece he set his choreography to an unlikely choice: Ave Maria. And with Mary by his side, he acknowledged his parents, mouthing, "I love you,” as he performed his routine.

As spectators could see, the choreography to Ave Maria was more than a performance. It was an embodied prayer, a dialogue between memory and hope. It was as if he was skating with the strength and support of both his heavenly mothers.

Naumov doesn’t hide the source of his resilience. He speaks of his parents’ presence with him still — not as a distant memory, but as a guiding force. Before his routines, he traces the Sign of the Cross. A cross that once hung on his competition suit now stays close to his heart, a reminder that faith is not an abstract idea but something tangible that grounds him even as he soars.

In fact, in a moment at the 2026 U.S. Championships that captured worldwide attention, his cross pendant came loose during a double axel — yet it didn’t fall. It clung to his shoulder through the next rotations, only to be clasped again in his hand as he finished. Naumov later said of that unexpected image:

And if you see in the Instagram post below, the talented sportsman also holds his parents' photo close to him as he awaits the results. And as he sits there he simply mouths "thank you, thank you" to his mother and father, who were no doubt guiding their son through this pivotal point in his skating career -- more present than ever from above.

The nature of this joint family venture was also present when he spoke of qualifying in third place for the Olympic team, his gratitude was grounded not in personal achievement alone, but in shared meaning. As he exclaimed: “We did it. God is good!" we can't help but feel this included both his parents and the divine in the same breath.

There is a powerful parallel between the spiritual life and the act of a skater taking flight. Each jump is a risk — a moment when the past must be released, and the future embraced. Skating to Ave Maria, a song steeped in history and prayer, Naumov turned that risk into strength and beauty.

As he shared after the his performance:

Naumov didn’t just perform. He offered something that spoke to the hearts of those watching: that even in loss, there can be strength and hope; that every leap can be a testament to trust.

And in that, there’s a lesson for us all — in sport, in sorrow, and in life: when you trust the preparation, lean into what grounds you, and carry those you love in your heart, even the highest leap can lead to a graceful landing.