Figure skating icons honor victims of D.C. plane crash at 'Legacy on Ice' tribute

USA Today

02-03-2025

Figure skating icons honor victims of D.C. plane crash at 'Legacy on Ice' tribute
Show Caption
Hide Caption
Top U.S. figure skaters gather to honor flight crash victims with show
U.S. figure skating's biggest names are coming together for 'Legacy on Ice', a tribute show for the victims of the tragic flight crash on January 29th.
Sports Pulse
WASHINGTON — When American Airlines 5342 fatally collided with a military helicopter over the Potomac River a little more than one month ago, the first feelings that rippled throughout the U.S. figure skating community were shock and grief − mourning for the skaters, coaches and parents who were lost. Then, it was: What can we do to honor them?
"As skaters," 1992 Olympic gold medalist Kristi Yamaguchi explained, "we learn to express our emotions through artistry."
And so, on Sunday, they took to the ice at Capital One Arena for "Legacy on Ice," a two-hour tribute show to honor the 67 victims in the Jan. 29 crash and raise money for the families and first responders who were impacted.
The exhibition included appearances by some of the most legendary names in U.S. figure skating, from co-hosts Yamaguchi and 1988 Olympic gold medalist Brian Boitano to 1968 gold medalist Peggy Fleming. And it featured performances on the ice by current and former Olympic and world champions, including Nathan Chen and Ilia Malinin, and retired fan favorites, such as NBC analyst Johnny Weir.
All told, more than 40 current and retired Team USA skaters participated, with medalists from eight different editions of the Winter Olympics among them.
"My grandfather would always tell me ... that when people come together and you share your wins and your victories together, they double. And when you share the losses and you share the tragedies, those sorrows get cut in half," two-time Olympian Jason Brown said. "And that's kind of how I feel coming together."
Sunday's show featured individual tributes to the 11 young figure skaters who died in the Jan. 29 crash, in which a military helicopter collided with a passenger plane returning from Wichita, Kansas − the site of a national development camp for the country's top skating talent. Four of the skaters' coaches and 13 family members also died in the crash.
The show also included video tributes and a round of applause for the estimated 400 first responders and family members who were in attendance.
Perhaps the show's most poignant moment was the performance of Maxim Naumov, who lost both of his parents, 1994 pairs champions Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova, in the crash. Naumov skated to his parents' favorite song − a song that, Boitano explained in his introduction, would prompt them to spontaneously slow dance together whenever it came on. After the performance, he fell to the ice and sobbed as the crowd at Capital One Arena gave him an extensive round of applause.
"The skating community is such a small and close-knit community in so many ways, so the tragedy was felt really, really deeply," retired Olympic skater Gracie Gold said. "And I had no doubt that so many of us would turn out for this event."
A little more than a month ago, Gold traveled to Wichita, Kansas to serve as a coach at the development camp, working with young skaters on their jumps. After hosting a Q&A session at the end of the camp's final day, she traveled with some of those skaters to the airport, stood with them in security lines, chatted with some of their coaches and then boarded a plane home.
About 90 minutes later, American Airlines 5342 took off from Wichita, bound for Reagan Washington National Airport.
"It's been really difficult for the whole community," Gold said Saturday evening. "Just to see something good come from such a horrible event is really, really special."
Contact Tom Schad at [e-mail] or on social media @tomschad.bsky.social.