Evgenia Shishkova

Personal information
Native name	Евгения Васильевна Шишкова
Full name	Evgenia Vasilievna Shishkova
Born	(1972-12-18)18 December 1972 Leningrad,Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Died	29 January 2025(2025-01-29) (aged 52) Washington, D.C., U.S.
Height	4 ft 10 in (147 cm)
Figure skating career
Country	Russia CIS Soviet Union
Partner	Vadim Naumov
Coach	Ludmila Velikova
Retired	1998
Medal record Figure skating:Pairs Representing Russia World Championships 1994 Chiba Pairs 1995 Birmingham Pairs 1993 Prague Pairs European Championships 1995 Dortmund Pairs 1994 Copenhagen Pairs 1993 Helsinki Pairs Grand Prix Final 1995–1996 Paris Pairs Representing CIS European Championships 1992 Lausanne Pairs Representing Soviet Union European Championships 1991 Sofia Pairs

Evgenia Vasilievna Shishkova (Russian:Евгения Васильевна Шишкова; 18 December 1972 – 29 January 2025) was a Russianfigure skating coach and competitor. With her husbandVadim Naumov, she was the1994 world champion and the1995–96 Champions Series Final champion.

Shishkova died on 29 January 2025, whenAmerican Eagle Flight 5342 collided with anU.S. ArmySikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter while the jet was on approach to land atRonald Reagan Washington National Airport.

Shishkova and Naumov were introduced in 1985 by Naumov's coach who wanted them to skate together.^[1] Naumov initially rebuffed the idea because he did not wish to change partners; however after several tryouts, he and Shishkova agreed to be a team.^[1] They landed a throw triple jump during their first training and began competing together in 1987.^[2]

In 1991 Shishkova/Naumov won the Soviet National Championships and captured bronze at their firstEuropean Championships inSofia, Bulgaria, then placed 5th at theWorld Championships inMunich, Germany. During the next season, they competed at their first Olympics, the1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France, placing fifth. Shishkova/Naumov won their first World Championships' medal–bronze–at the1993 World Championships. The pair placed 4th at the1994 Winter Olympics inLillehammer, Norway. They just missed out on Olympic bronze, with 4 judges out of 5 placing them 3rd ahead of eventual bronze medal winners, the Canadians Brasseur & Eisler. People in the public whistled when the marks appeared on the jumbotron. The pair ended the season by becomingworld champions inChiba, Japan east ofTokyo on 23rd March 1994.^[3]

Shishkova/Naumov won their third World Championships' medal, which was silver at the1995 World Championships inBirmingham, England. Despite skating a clean free program, they lost to a flawed free skate by the eventual winners Kovarikova & Novotny.From 1991 to 1995, the pair also won fiveEuropean Championships medals. After withdrawing from the 1996 European Championships due to a severe ear infection suffered by Evgenia, in February 1996 they won gold at the1995–96 Champions Series Final (later renamed the Grand Prix Final) inParis.^[4] At the1996 World Championships inEdmonton, Alberta, Shishkova/Naumov were third after the short program. In the long program, four judges gave first-place votes toMarina Eltsova /Andrei Bushkov who finished as gold medalists. Four judges voted in favor of Shishkova/Naumov, however, low scores from the other five judges left them off the podium in 4th place.^[5]

Shishkova/Naumov missed most of the 1996/97 season following Naumov's collar bone injury that he suffered in the summer and early fall of 1996. They did not make the 1998 Winter Olympic team for Russia as they placed 4th at Russian Nationals' in December 1997. They decided to retire from ISU competition in 1998 and skate and turn professional.^[1] The pair won the World Professional Championships in Jaca, Spain, in April 1998. After skating professionally for about a year and a half, they transitioned into coaching, working at the International Skating Center inSimsbury, Connecticut northwest ofHartford.^[6][7] They moved and became coaches at theSkating Club of Boston inNorwood, Massachusetts west ofQuincy, in February 2017.^[8]

Shishkova and Naumov married inSaint Petersburg, Russia, on 7 August 1995.^[9] They settled inSimsbury in 1998.^[1] Their son,Maxim Naumov, was born in August 2001 and competes in men's singles for the United States.^[10][11]

On 29 January 2025, Naumov and Shishkova both died onAmerican Eagle Flight 5342 that collided with anU.S. ArmySikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter while the jet was on approach to land atRonald Reagan Washington National Airport.^[12][13][14] They were returning fromWichita, Kansas, where they participated in a development camp for young skaters, days following the2025 U.S. Figure Skating Championships.^[15] TheSkating Club of Boston, where the couple coached, had six skaters who died in the crash. Their son, Maxim, who had competed at the U.S. Championships, was not onboard the plane, having flown out ofWichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport two days before the crash took place.^[16][17][18] On March 2, 2025,U.S. Figure Skating held the ice showLegacy on Ice, which paid tribute to Shishkova and the other victims that were killed aboard American Eagle Flight 5342.^[19] Maxim performed to Shishkova and Naumov's favorite song, "Город, которого нет (The City That Doesn't Exist)" byIgor Kornelyuk, to honor his parents.^[20]

In January 2026, Maxim fulfilled his and his parents' dreams by making the2026 Winter Olympic team. "I would not be sitting here without the unimaginable work, effort and love from my parents," said Naumov after being named to the team. "It means absolutely everything to me, fulfilling the dream that we collectively had as a family since I first was on the ice at five years old. So it means absolutely everything. And I know they’re looking down, smiling and proud."^[21]

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GP:Champions Series (Grand Prix)

With Naumov:

• 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

• Evgenia Shishkova atIMDb

• 1972 births
• 2025 deaths
• Russian female pair skaters
• Olympic figure skaters for the Unified Team
• Olympic figure skaters for Russia
• Figure skaters at the 1992 Winter Olympics
• Figure skaters at the 1994 Winter Olympics
• Figure skaters from Saint Petersburg
• World Figure Skating Championships medalists
• European Figure Skating Championships medalists
• Goodwill Games medalists in figure skating
• Competitors at the 1994 Goodwill Games
• Russian expatriates in the United States
• Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 2025
• Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in Washington, D.C.
• Victims of mid-air collisions

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