BOSTON (WHDH) - Norwood-based figure skater Maxim Naumov returned to Boston Tuesday after making his his Olympic debut in the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina, Italy.
The 24-year-old competes at The Skating Club of Boston in Norwood, and said making it to the Olympics was a dream come true.
“One of my earliest core memories is watching the Olympics as a young kid and wishing that I got there. So for this to come full circle, and for this to be a reality is something else,” he said.
Naumov’s journey to Italy was difficult; his parents were among the six people from The Skating Club of Boston who were killed in the Washington D.C. air disaster in January 2025. His parents were coaches at the club, as well as Olympians.
Sixty-seven people in total died in the crash when an American Airlines flight collided with a Black Hawk helicopter in mid-air over the Potomac River in Washington, D.C.
Naumov said the last conversation he had with his parents was about how much it would take to make it to the Olympics.
“It’s been a family dream of ours my whole life, since I was a kid. I felt like they were beside me whole time and they were supporting me,” he said.
He had his parents in mind during the games, holding a picture of them and kissing it after his first skate.
“To be able to bring this dream into fruition and into reality is something that I’ll remember for the rest of my life,” Naumov said. “It’s something I can pass down to my children and tell them how special this moment is, but I felt their presence during the entirety of the games. So I hope that they’re proud.”
Naumov finished twentieth overall at the Olympics, which concluded Sunday.
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