NORWOOD, Mass. — While Maxim Naumov took Olympic ice 4,000 miles away, his own club, dozens of members, and skating legends watched as he lived out a lifelong dream.
Members in Norwood watched the Men’s Singles Figure Skating event anxiously while it was happening live on Friday afternoon, and during a taped watch party at night.
Naumov lost his two parents in January 2025 when the American Airlines flight they were on collided with an Army Blackhawk in Washington, D.C. Two teen skaters from the club and their mothers were also killed in the crash.
A memorial with pictures, flowers, and handwritten notes to the victims still sat overlooking the club’s main ice.
Katharine Steegar, the club’s director of membership services, helped organize the club watch party Friday night.
“There are no words really to describe it,” she said. “We’re just so happy he has made it to this dream.”
She continued, “[His parents] are with him, and they’re with us. They really are.”
Naumov did not make the podium for the event, but was celebrated with massive roars from the crowd in Italy and in Norwood after his performance.
Local figure skating legend Nancy Kerrigan, an Olympic medalist, was also watching at the club during the event.
Kerrigan was among those who cried soon after the fatal plane crash last year that killed Naumov’s parents and two promising young skaters who died along with their mothers.
Holding back tears on Friday, Kerrigan said, “It’s amazing. I don’t know how he’s been able to compose himself as well as he has for the past year and compete at this high level.”
“It’s heart, it’s grit and determination,” Kerrigan said of Naumov. “He got that instilled in him from the beginning through the sport, through his parents... He’s an Olympian, and he’s got a lot to be proud of.”
The club is planning an event two weeks from now when their Olympians will return to Norwood.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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