The son of figure skaters Shishkova and Naumov, who died in the U.S., withdrew from the competition

Maxim Naumov, the son of Russian figure skaters Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, who died in a plane crash in Washington, D.C., who plays for the U.S. national team, has withdrawn from the Four Continents Championships in Seoul. This follows on February 1 from the application sheets of the International Skating Union(ISU) website.

Initially, Naumov's name, who finished fourth at the last U.S. Championships, was listed among the main participants. However, now the 23-year-old skater is labeled as a reserve. Tomoki Hiwatashi, a U.S. representative with Japanese roots, has been named to replace him in the main competition lineup.

Interrupted flight: Russian figure skaters were among the dead in the plane crash in the USA

Yevgeniya Shishkova and Vadim Naumov were on board, the names of the other passengers are being investigated

Earlier on January 31, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova confirmed that the plane crash in Washington killed three Russians. We are talking about athletes Evgenia Shishkova, Vadim Naumov and Inna Volyanskaya, who worked in the United States as figure skating coaches. There is also data that another victim had a Russian passport, these data are in the process of verification.

On the same day, Naumov's mother told the media that divers after the crash managed to find the body of the deceased figure skater, world champion (1994) Evgenia Shishkova. Naumov's body has not been found yet. The woman added that the couple's son, Maxim, is at the scene of the tragedy.

On the night of January 30, near Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., an American Airlines passenger plane and a Black Hawk military helicopter collided, after the accident they fell into the Potomac River. A total of 60 passengers and four crew members were aboard the plane. There were three military personnel in the helicopter. US President Donald Trump reported no survivors of the airplane crash. According to the latest data, 41 bodies were found, of which 28 were identified.

Tatyana Tarasova, the USSR's honored figure skating coach, called the news from Washington "terrible". The Boston Athletic Club reported that coaches, world figure skating champions Shishkova and Naumov died together when a passenger plane and a military helicopter collided in Washington. In addition to them, former figure skater Inna Volyanskaya was on the plane.

In Tallinn, Estonia, the second day of the European Figure Skating Championships began with a minute of silence in memory of the victims of the airplane crash. On January 31, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the United States and Russia had been in contact through diplomatic channels after the plane crash.