Maxim Naumov is back on the ice at the Skating Club of Boston days after earning a spot on the 2026 U.S. Olympic team.
“I’m still pinching myself. You know in every sense of the word, its a dream come true,” Naumov said.
Its a true triumph over tragedy story for the 24-year-old whose parents, both figure skating coaches and champions themselves, were killed in the D.C. air disaster last year.
Six members of the Boston Skating Club were on board the plane.
“In the beginning I didn’t know if I was ever gonna skate again period, let along competing, let along shows or anything. I was uncertain of anything,” Naumov said.
Naumov ended up finding skating cathartic, getting all the way to the U.S. Figure Skating Championships. When he finished competing, he held a family photo in his hands.
“I really wanted them to be there with me as I hear the scores, as I realize what’s happening,” Naumov said. “Such a crucial moment in my life.”
Naumov isn’t the only one from the Norwood-based skating club to make the Olympic team. Skating pair Emily Chan and Spencer Howe said the heartache from the deadly crash fueled them as well.
“I was watching Max Naumov, I was praying that he was going to be, you know, have the skate of his life so I could see him on that team,” Howe said. “I was just thinking to his parents, looking up and being like they’re watching over him. There must be something at work here and lo and behold here we are and its a dream come true.”
As Naumov packs his bags for Milan, he said he’ll be bringing pictures of his mom and dad. It’s his way of taking them with him on the journey.
“Even just in my room, placing them there, kind of just glancing at them in the morning and telling them ‘we’re here, we did it,’” Naumov said.
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