In the United States, the most devastating air accident was over 20 years. Iida Karhunen’s coach Marina Shirshova felt a well -felt figure skating team in the crash machine.
Roope Visuri,
Riikka Smolander-Slotte
The most destructive airplane in the United States in more than 20 years also affects figure skating. In Washington, a passenger aircraft collided with a local time on Wednesday evening to a helicopter and fell into the Potomacjoki.
Finnish time on Thursday afternoon said the rescue authorities said they believe that all 67 people involved in Turma have died. By then, more than 30 people who died had been found in the search.
According to the Russian news agency Tassi, there was a Russian coaching couple on the plane Yevgenia shshkova and Vadim Naumov. They won the World Cup in 1994.
The plane was coming from the Kansas Wichita, where the US Figure Skating Championships were held.
US Figure Skating Association confirmedthat there were athletes, coaches and their family members in the crash machine to return from a camp in connection with the championship. Young promises included in the country’s figure skating development program had participated in the camp.
– The biggest sadness is for these young people. This is a huge blow to the sport and especially for the US. If the information about young people is correct, the sport will have a break in the United States. This is a huge tragedy, an overwhelming figure skating reviewer Mika Saarelainen describes.
In the United States, this is another air accident tragedy in figure skating. The entire US national team died in a plane crash in 1961 on his way to the World Cup in Czechoslovakia, Prague. The whole race was canceled.
Jevgenia šškova and Vadim Naumov won the World Cup gold in 1994. They also achieved the World Cup bronze in 1993 and the World Cup in 1995.
– World champions are forever world champions. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, there was a large number of Russian pairs of pairs. They were tremendously good. When they think they have taken the World Cup gold, they have been really good, Saarelainen estimates.
After their career, they settled in the United States and acted as figure skating coaches. Their son, Maxim Naumovthere are US top skaters. 23-year-old Naumov was fourth in the United States Championship last week.
Naumov was not in the crash machine.
– Thoughts are with the boy, says Saarelainen.
Naumov should compete in a couple of weeks in the four -continent championship. There are countries outside Europe.
At the Tallinn European Championships, a festive atmosphere disappeared
The European Championships are currently being fought in Tallinn. Among other things, the Finnish promise Iida from the bear coaching marina Shirshova describes that in the European Championships that started on Wednesday, the atmosphere is no longer so festive.
Coaches and athletes have talked a lot about what happened.
In Lappeenranta, Shirshova felt a died of a Russian couple because they were from St. Petersburg like Shirshova.
In addition, he knew the young people in the crash machine. Her daughter Alisa Ephimova represents the United States and won last weekend of pairing the US Championship Misha Mitrofanov with.
Shirshova says that it is difficult to accept what happened.
– It was quite shocking. I knew this one of the first ones already at night. My daughter lives in America. He called at night. I immediately understood that something was happening. It’s been quite a few hours, but I’m still in the refusal phase. Cannot be accepted in any way. This is a tragedy. It has now messed up my moods at the European Championships, Shirshova described to Sports.
The International Figure Skating Association ISU published a newsletter in which it said that the international figure skating community was deeply shocked by the Washington flight crash.
– Figure skating is more than a sport. It’s a close family. We stay together. We are closely connected with the US Figure Skating Association and will give our full support this incredibly difficult time, ISU wrote.
ISU’s Board of Directors Susanna Curd is an old racing mate of šškova and Naumov. Rahkamo and Petri Bonfire In ice dance, they won the World Championship bronze in the same year as the Russians who now died in pairing in the World Cup gold.
Rahkamo presented his condolences on his Facebook page. Rahkamo said he woke up to heartbreaking news.
– Today the whole figure skating family is mourning together. As time passes, we find the means to respect the memory of the died, Rahkamo ended his update.
Coaching Manager of the Finnish Figure Skating Association Fairy tale Mow In a young Finnish team, the coaching team listens to athletes if they want to discuss what happened.
– Give the opportunity to talk. No need to cover if you have a bad mood. The presence of the athlete is most important, Niittynen describes.