Friend says Maxim Naumov

Milan — When Maxim Naumov stepped on the Olympic ice At the 2026 Winter Games in Milan on Tuesday, he was not alone.

When the music started and the lights reflected on the rink, the 24-year-old American skater was fulfilling a dream he shared with his parents, former Olympic skaters Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov. Both were murdered last year in the Mid-air collision over the Potomac River.

“It was a dream that everyone had,” Susan Hamel-Bottari, a coach at the Skating Club of Boston and a close family friend, told News themezone after Naumov skated. “He always says it’s not one, it’s three.”

That dream came true at the Milano Ice Skating Arena during the men’s short program competition on Tuesday.

Just before taking the ice, a message appeared on the jumbotron above his head: “Mom and Dad, this is for you.”

Naumov then performed one of the strongest skates of his career, earning a score of 85.65, enough to advance to the free skate round later this week.

But the numbers tell only part of his story.

After finishing his program, he knelt down and looked up. The public in the stadium also let their emotions flow and gave him a standing ovation.

He later snapped a photo of himself as a child and future Olympian, standing on the ice for the first time between his parents.

“I didn’t know if I was going to cry, smile or laugh,” Naumov said later. “All I could do was look at them. I still can’t believe what just happened.”

Inside his Team USA jacket, he carried a short message, one of his father’s favorite reminders: “Expect the unexpected.”

Last year that advice was tested in unimaginable ways.

Shishkova and Naumov were among 67 people who died last year when the passenger plane they were traveling on collided with a military helicopter near Washington, DC. They were on their way home from a skating development camp.

The tragedy devastated its tight-knit skating community, including the Skating Club of Boston, which lost several members.

Hamel-Bottari remembers the shock of that day and what came next.

“I didn’t know how to respond to him,” he said. “I just told him I would always be there for him.”

Their resilience in the months since has been inspiring, Hamel-Bottari told News themezone.

“Every day he came to the rink, no matter what,” she said. “No matter what he felt inside, he showed up. He’s mentally strong. He’s a fighter.”

Naumov leaned into his training, finding both refuge and release.

“With every slide and step I took on the ice, I couldn’t help but feel his presence,” he said. “Almost like a chess piece on a chess board.”

Beyond his own competitive goals, Naumov also continued his parents’ work. They founded Tomorrow’s Champions, a development program at the Skating Club of Boston designed to train young skaters through a rigorous combination of on-ice sessions, off-ice conditioning, gymnastics and ballet.

Even while training for the Olympics, Naumov continued teaching in the program.

“The kids love him,” Hamel-Bottari said. “He’s very positive. He learned from the best, from both of them.”

Many of those young skaters watched as Naumov took to the ice in Milan. Some traveled to Italy and held handmade signs with their footprints and names. Others applauded from home.

“For us as a Skating Club of Boston family to see it and know what we went through, it brings tears to our eyes,” Hamel-Bottari said. “Tonight he did it.”

Naumov has said he did not focus on perfection in his Olympic debut.

“I wanted to go out and give my heart,” he said. “Leave everything out there. Don’t regret it.”

Amid all the inspiring Olympic stories, Naumov’s performance stood out for reasons that go far beyond scores and ranking.