Originally published on 1/12/26

The 2026 United States Olympic figure skating team has officially been announced. Among them is Maxim Naumov, a 24-year-old who suffered a major tragedy last year when his parents—Vadim Naumov and Evgenia “Zhenya” Shishkova—were killed in an American Airlines plane crash. Below, we share everything you need to know about Maxim’s journey to the Olympics, including how he’s honoring his parents now, a little over a year after their passing.  

Maxim Naumov’s journey to the 2026 Winter Olympic Games

Maxim was born on August 1, 2001, in Hartford, Connecticut, to 1994 World Figure Skating pairs champions Vadim and Evgenia. Maxim followed his parents’ lead, becoming a skater himself, and by 2013 he had already earned the title of U.S juvenile champion. 

Following that, he became the U.S. novice champion in 2017, the U.S. junior champion in 2020 and was a U.S. pewter medalist in 2023, 2024 and 2025. Now, he’s going for the gold medal at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. 

Maxim Naumov’s thoughts on going to the Olympics 

On Sunday, January 11, Maxim was selected as one of 16 skaters who will represent team US during the figure skating round of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. He will compete in the men’s division against two other Americans, all of whom hope to take home the gold. 

“I came into this competition thinking how grateful I am to even have the ability to compete and the fact that I overcame so, so much,” Naumov told reporters Saturday, per NBC News. “Looking back, even not being able to lace up my skates and not knowing if I was going to compete, let alone skate, what I did [Saturday]— I don’t even have the words, honestly, of just what I had to overcome to be here.”

How Maxim Naumov is honoring his parents 

Prior to making the team, Naumov had spoken openly about his grief journey. 

“It’s all about being resilient,” Maxim said following the competition, per the Associated Press. “That’s the feeling and mentality I’ve clung to this entire season. And I find in times of really difficult emotional stress, if you can just push yourself a little bit more, and almost think, ‘What if? What if I can do it? What if, despite everything that happened to me, I can go out and do it?’” 

During that same interview, he also spoke about how his parents would have responded to his continued skating success, if they were here to see it. 

“My dad would have told me to keep fighting for that salchow [a jump in figure skating],” Maxim joked. “My mom never watched me skate. I don’t think she watched past maybe 13, 14 years old. Typically I’d be calling her in the next five minutes, and you know, she’d be saying, ‘OK, good job. But we’ve already forgot about it. We’re thinking about the free [the long program in competitions] already.’ Those are her words, exactly.”

As Maxim grieved, he raised over $1.2 million for families affected by the American Airlines crash that killed his parents. He also took on more leadership roles within the Skating Club of Boston’s youth academy, which was created by his parents. This includes becoming the on-ice director, helping to oversee the program. 

“Even at a time like this, having the opportunity to be here, it’s just another example of how capable I am in really difficult times,” Maxim said. “It’s just more and more confidence built in for me, and just having a lot of mental strength.”

You can watch Maxim Naumov compete in the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics starting on February 6 on NBC and Peacock.

Link to original: https://www.womansworld.com/entertainment/celebrities/maxim-naumov-qualifies-for-2026-olympics-after-parents-deaths