US figure skater Maxim Naumov has qualified for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan following a podium finish at the national championships.
Naumov placed third in St Louis, securing a place among the 16 athletes selected to represent the United States.
His parents, former world champions Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova, were killed in a Washington DC plane crash in January 2025.
The crash involved an American Airlines flight colliding mid-air with a military helicopter, killing all 67 people on board.
Naumov said his Olympic dream was one of the final topics he discussed with his parents before their deaths.
We did it.
Maxim Naumov said, describing what he believed his parents would tell him.
During the competition, Naumov carried a childhood photograph of himself with his parents.
I wish they could be here to experience it with me, but I do feel their presence.
Maxim Naumov said.
His parents later coached in the US after moving from Russia and were affiliated with the Skating Club of Boston.
Olympic figure skating events are scheduled to begin on 6 February in Milan.