Russian figure skating duo Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov were partners on and off the ice.
The couple sparked a romance not long after they began competing as pairs skating partners in 1985. The two-time Olympians went on to win multiple titles together before hanging up their skates in 1998.
Shishkova and Naumov tied the knot in 1995. Three years later, they retired and went on to build a successful coaching career together in the U.S. Among their accomplished trainees was their son, Maxim, who they welcomed in 2001.
While traveling home from U.S. Figure Skating’s National Development Camp in January 2025, Shishkova and Naumov were involved in a plane crash with an Army helicopter in Washington D.C. The Skating Club of Boston confirmed the couple and several of their athletes were among the victims in a statement at the time.
“Our sport and this Club have suffered a horrible loss with this tragedy. Skating is a tight-knit community where parents and kids come together 6 or 7 days a week to train and work together. Everyone is like family,” the organization wrote via Instagram. “Of the skaters, coaches and parents on the plane, we believe six were from The Skating Club of Boston. We are devastated and completely at a loss for words.”
Scroll down to look back at Shishkova and Naumov’s biggest relationship moments:
1991
Shishkova and Naumov took home a bronze medal at the 1991 European Championships, and also fifth at that year’s World Championships.
1992
The couple competed at their first Olympic Games together in Albertville, France, placing fifth in the pairs competition.
1994
In addition to placing fourth in the 1994 Lillehammer Olympics pairs competition, Shishkova and Naumov won the pairs title at that year’s World Championships in Chiba, Japan.
1995
The pair reportedly tied the knot in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
1996
The athletes took home another first place title at the 1995-96 Grand Prix Finals and ranked four in that year’s World Championships pairs competition.
1998
After failing to make Russia’s 1998 Winter Olympic team, Shishkova and Naumov moved to the U.S. and began their careers as figure skating coaches at the International Skating Center in Simsbury, Connecticut. (They reportedly moved to coaching for the Skating Club of Boston in 2017.)
2001
The couple welcomed their only child, son Maxim.
2005
Among their talented pupils, the pair coached 2005 U.S. Figure Skating pairs champions Katherine Orscher and Garrett Lucash.
“People don’t understand how expensive it is to be a skater, especially in this country, because it isn’t accepted like baseball, basketball, or football,” Naumov told NewEngland.com in December 2007. “We worked with one team, Katie Orscher and Garrett Lucash, for six years. They were national champions in 2005, and even after that they still struggled for money. They couldn’t find a sponsor. Medication, equipment, ice time, coaching, the choreographer — they had to pay for everything. I bet it was $25,000 to $30,000 a year.”
September 2020
“Saying goodbye to our old home rink,” the pair captioned a family photo with Maxim on the Skating Club of Boston ice skating rink via their joint Instagram account.
June 2021
While Shishkova and Naumov mainly used their Instagram to highlight their athletes’ accomplishments, they reminisced about their own career by sharing a throwback clip of one of their past competition routines. “Sweet memories,” they captioned the Instagram video.
April 2022
The couple and their son soaked up the son on a tropical “team’s vacation.”
May 2022
Shishkova and Naumov took a break from the ice to enjoy a date night at the ballet. “Undying classic, takes a breath away every time! Boston ballet, Swan Lake – amazing performance 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻,” they captioned Instagram pics from their night out.
April 2023
The family of three followed-up the previous year’s vacation by taking a trip to Jamaica. “Best vacation ever! Jamaica, we’ll be back!😄🇯🇲🍸🏖️,” the pair wrote alongside Instagram photos from fun-filled getaway.
January 2025
Shishkova and Naumov were reported among the approximately 64 victims killed in a plane and helicopter collision in Washington D.C. Maxim, who had competed at the U.S. Championships in Wichita days before, was not on The Skating Club of Boston’s list of reported victims from the organization. Shishkova and Naumov were 52 and 55, respectively.
In their final Instagram post, the couple celebrated their son’s competition performance. “Once again, Maxim made us all proud, getting on to the podium at Nationals after 7th place in the short,” they captioned a montage of clips and photos from the event. “This beautiful and emotional performance is a result of a team work. Huge thanks to Serhii and Irina Vaypan and of course to Adam Blake for his wonderful choreography of a classic! Maxim has earned his place in the team of 4 Continents. 👏🏻👍🏻💪🏻😄🎊.”
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