Ice Skater Who Lost Both Parents In DC Plane Crash Breaks Down After Moving Tribute Performance

The figure skating son of former world champions and coaches — who were killed in the American Airlines tragedy in Washington, D.C. — broke down in tears after dedicating his performance his late parents.

Maxim Naumov took to the ice at the charity event in D.C. Sunday to honor his parents, Evgenia “Zhenya” Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, and the dozens of other figure skating community members who lost their lives onboard the American Airlines flight.

Video from Maxim’s performance shows the 23-year-old weeping on his knees in the middle of the ice just moments after finishing his routine.

The skater’s Russian-born parents had been flying back from a U.S. Figure Skating competition and training camp on January 29, when the plane their were on collided with an Army helicopter and crashed into the Potomac River, killing all 67 people onboard.

Maxim had also competed at the national event, where he placed fourth, but flew back home several days before his parents.

His parents, accomplished skaters in their own right, won the pairs title at the 1994 World Figure Skating Championships, and were serving as coaches at the Skating Club of Boston when they were killed.

Isabella Aparicio, who lost her father and brother in the crash, also performed Sunday, and was met with roars of applause from the crowd following the touching tribute.

Aparicio, who knelt down on the ice after she finished her routine, put her head in her hands as fans got on their feet to give her a standing ovation, before she got up and skated off of the ice.

In addition to Maxim and Isabella, the Legacy on Ice event featured some of the best in figure skating, with national champion Amber Glenn, two-time Olympian Johnny Weir and reigning men’s world champion Ilia Malinin, also taking the to the ice Sunday.

“It was a very traumatic experience for me and really just devastating for me to hear when all that happened, and I really wanted to have something that everyone could remember as a family, as a whole community that we remember them,” Malinin said, per the Associated Press. “All of our daily lives, every time we step on the ice, we’ll always think of them. Every time we’re competing, they’ll always be in our hearts.”