# Vadim Naumov

Vadim Vladimirovich Naumov (Russian: Вадим Владимирович Наумов; 7 April 1969 – 29 January 2025) was a Russian pair skater. With his wife Evgenia Shishkova, he was the 1994 world champion and the 1995–96 Champions Series Final champion.
Naumov died on 29 January 2025, when American Eagle Flight 5342 collided with an U.S. Army Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter while the jet was on approach to land at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

## Career

Shishkova and Naumov were introduced in 1985 by Naumov's coach who wanted them to skate together. Naumov initially rebuffed the idea because he did not wish to change partners, however after a number of tryouts, he and Shishkova agreed to be a team . They began competing together in 1987.
In 1991, Shishkova/Naumov won bronze at their first European Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria and placed 5th at the World Championships in Munich, Germany. During the next season they competed at their first Olympics, the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France placing fifth. The pair won their first world medal–bronze–at the 1993 World Championships in Prague. In 1993, the pair finished in 4th place at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway and they ended the season by becoming world champions in Chiba, Japan east of Tokyo.
Shishkova/Naumov picked up their third world medal, a silver medal, in 1995. From 1991–1995, they also won five European Championships' figure skating medals. In February 1996, they won gold at the 1995–96 Champions Series Final (later renamed the Grand Prix Final) in Paris.
At the 1996 World Championships in Edmonton, Alberta, Shishkova/Naumov were third after the short program. In the long program, four judges gave first-place votes to Marina Eltsova / Andrei Bushkov who finished as the gold medalists, and four judges voted in favor of Shishkova/Naumov. However, low scores from the other five judges left them off the podium in 4th place. Shishkova/Naumov did not make the 1998 Winter Olympic team for Russia. They decided to retire from ISU competition in 1998 and skate as professionals. The pair won the World Professional Championships in April 1998. Next they transitioned into coaching, working at the International Skating Center in Simsbury, Connecticut northwest of Hartford. They moved and became coaches for the Skating Club of Boston in Norwood, Massachusetts west of Quincy in February 2017.

## Personal life and death

Shishkova and Naumov married in Saint Petersburg, Russia on 7 August 1995. They lived in Simsbury in 1998. Their son, Maxim Naumov, was born in August 2001 and competes in men's singles for the United States.
On 29 January 2025, Naumov and Shishkova were passengers on American Eagle Flight 5342, and died when a U.S. Army Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter collided with the plane while the jet was on approach to land at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, killing all 67 people on both aircraft. They were returning from Wichita, Kansas, where they had participated in a development camp for young skaters in the days following the 2025 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. The Skating Club of Boston, where the couple coached, lost six skaters in the crash. Their son, Maxim, who had competed at the U.S. Championships, was not onboard the plane, having flown out of Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport two days before the crash took place. On March 2, 2025, U.S. Figure Skating held an ice show called Legacy on Ice, which paid tribute to Naumov and the other victims that lost their lives aboard American Eagle Flight 5342. Maxim performed to Shishkova and Naumov's favorite song, "Город, которого нет (The City That Doesn't Exist)" by Igor Kornelyuk, to honor his parents.

## Programs

With Shishkova:
| Season | Short program | Free skating | Exhibition |
| 1998–99 | | | |
| 1997–98 | | Don Quixote by Ludwig Minkus | |
| 1996–97 | Ave Maria by Charles Gounod, Johann Sebastian Bach | Meditation (from Thaïs) by Jules Massenet | |
| 1995–96 | Ave Maria by Charles Gounod, Johann Sebastian Bach | Don Quixote by Ludwig Minkus | The Barber of Seville Act 1, No. 2 Cavatina: "Largo Al Factotum" by Gioachino Rossini |
| 1994–95 | Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso by Camille Saint-Saëns | Unfinished Symphony by Franz Schubert | |
| 1993–94 | Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso by Camille Saint-Saëns | Die Fledermaus by Johann Strauss II | Take Five performed by The Dave Brubeck Quartet |
| 1992–93 | Colonel Bogey March by F. J. Ricketts | Die Fledermaus by Johann Strauss II | Slap That Bass |
| 1991–92 | Take Five performed by The Dave Brubeck Quartet | | |
| 1990–91 | | | |

## Competitive highlights

GP: Champions Series (Grand Prix)
With Shishkova:
* Soviet Union (URS): Start of career through December 1991
* Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS): 1992 European and World Championships
* Unified Team at the Olympics (EUN): 1992 Olympics
* Russia (RUS): 1992–93 to end of career
International :
| Event | 88–89 | 89–90 | 90–91 | 91–92 | 92–93 | 93–94 | 94–95 | 95–96 | 96–97 | 97–98 |
| Winter Olympics | | | | 5th | | 4th | | | | |
| World Champ. | | | 5th | 5th | 3rd | 1st | 2nd | 4th | | |
| European Champ. | | | 3rd | 3rd | 3rd | 2nd | 3rd | | 5th | |
| GP Final | | | | | | | | 1st | | 5th |
| GP Cup of Russia | | | | | | | | | | 2nd |
| GP NHK Trophy | | | | | | | | 1st | 2nd | |
| GP Skate America | | | | | | | | | | 2nd |
| GP Skate Canada | | | | | | | | 1st | | |
| Centennial On Ice | | | | | | | | 1st | | |
| Goodwill Games | | | | | | | 3rd | | | |
| Inter. de Paris | | | | | 1st | | | | | |
| Moscow News | 5th | | | | | | | | | |
| Nations Cup | | | | 2nd | | 1st | | | | |
| Nebelhorn Trophy | | 2nd | | | | | | | | |
| NHK Trophy | | | | 1st | 1st | | | | | |
| Skate America | | | | | 3rd | 1st | 2nd | | | |
| Skate Canada | | | 2nd | | | | | | | |
| National |||||||||||
| Russian Champ. | | | | | 1st | 3rd | | 1st | 3rd | |
| Soviet Champ. | | | 1st | 2nd | | | | | | |