Nancy Kerrigan Mourns Skaters Killed in D.C. Plane Crash Who Belonged to Boston Skating Club: 'This Really Hits Home' (Exclusive)
Olympian Nancy Kerrigan is mourning those killed on American Airlines Flight 5342, especially the athletes that represented her home club: The Skating Club of Boston.
The skater, 55, visited the club's rink in Norwood, Mass., on Thursday, Jan. 30, after learning about the deadly crash that occurred between the commercial plane and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter on Wednesday night.
"I told them, I have to be around you guys," Kerrigan told PEOPLE exclusively. "I needed the community, the support. It's okay to ask for help and to be there for one another."
At least six passengers were affiliated with the Skating Club of Boston: coaches and former world pairs champions Evgenia Shiskova and her husband Vadim Naumov; skater Spencer Lane and his mother Christine; and skater Jinna Han and her mother Jin.
Skaters from other clubs, including sisters Everly and Alydia Livingston, also perished in the crash.
"It's heart-wrenching," said Kerrigan, a native of nearby Stoneham, Mass. "Everybody who died is somebody's somebody."
"I had to be here," she told PEOPLE after a long day of speaking with other skaters and their families. "This really hits home. The skating community has been through tragedy before."
Related: Dick Button, 2-Time Olympic Champion and Legendary Figure Skating Commentator, Dies at 95
Kerrigan was referring to the 1961 Sabena Flight 548 crash that killed all 18 members of the U.S. figure skating team en route to the world championships in Prague. U.S. Figure Skating, the governing body of the sport, established a memorial fund to help up-and-coming skaters with their training expenses.
Kerrigan also remembered the victims while speaking to reporters outside the Skating Club of Boston on Thursday. She became emotional while sharing that she's "not sure how to process" the devastating loss. "I just wanted to be here and be part of our community."
The athletes and coaches killed on American Airlines Flight 5342 were returning home from a development camp following the 2025 U.S. Figure Skating Championships held the previous week.
"Our sport and this Club have suffered a horrible loss with this tragedy," wrote CEO Doug Zeghibe on X. "We are devastated and completely at a loss for words."
In a statement, Lane's family said the 16-year-old "truly loved" the sport.
"His ascent from basic Learn to Skate classes to U.S. Figure Skating's National Development Team in just a few short years was unprecedented," it read. "We are so grateful that his last week was filled with joy and surrounded by his beloved Skating Club of Boston and the U.S. Figure Skating family."
Related: U.S. Figure Skater Spencer Lane Eerily Posted Photo from Inside Plane Before Dying in D.C. Crash
Kerrigan represented The Skating Club of Boston throughout her eligible career. She won the bronze medal at the 1992 Olympics in Albertville and the silver medal at the 1994 Olympics in Lillehammer.
Other famous club alumni include Dr. Tenley Albright, the first American woman to win a gold medal in figure skating at the Olympics, two-time Olympic champion Dick Button, who died on Thursday, and 1992 Olympic silver medalist Paul Wylie.
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