World champion Russian skaters on American Airlines jet built a new life as coaches in the US

News

World champion Russian skaters on American Airlines jet built a new life as coaches in the US

2025-01-31 04:56 Last Updated At：05:02

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — The two Russian figure skating coaches killed in the American Airlines crash were two-time Olympians and former world champions in the pairs event.

They were also a married couple with a son who finished fourth last week at the U.S. national championships in Wichita, Kansas. Their son was not on the same flight.

Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov won a world championship title together in pairs skating in 1994 and narrowly missed out on Olympic medals that year at the Lillehammer Games before moving to the U.S. and coaching generations of young skaters in New England.

After their son Maxim Naumov skated at the national championships, the 52-year-old Shishkova and her 55-year-old husband stayed in Wichita for a development camp for some of the most promising young skaters in the country.

On Wednesday night, the American Airlines jet they were on collided with an Army helicopter near Washington and crashed into the frigid waters of the Potomac River. There were 60 passengers and four crew members on the American Airlines flight and three soldiers aboard the Blackhawk helicopter. Hope of rescuing any survivors evaporated by daybreak.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed Thursday morning that the pair had been on board the plane, and the Skating Club of Boston, where they coached, said Shishkova and Naumov had been killed.

“We are sorry and send condolences to the families and friends who lost those of our fellow citizens who died in the plane crash,” Peskov said.

Two teenage figure skaters and their mothers who were affiliated with the Boston club were also on the flight.

Lyudmila Velikova, the former coach of Shishkova and Naumov, told Russian state news agency Tass she had been in touch with Shishkova and Naumov regularly and that they had spoken shortly before last week's event in Kansas.

“Everything was going well for them. They traveled to the main competitions in America and they had very good, worthy students,” Velikova said. “Many people wanted to work with them.”

Shishkova and Naumov started skating together in the 1980s in the Soviet Union and were two-time Olympians, but the peak of their career came in 1994 when they won a world championship gold medal together in Chiba, Japan. It was just over a month after they had narrowly missed out on medals at the 1994 Lillehammer Olympics.

“They were truly remarkable. Remarkable and kind people, excellent coaches, great friends and wonderful parents,” U.S. skaters Melissa Gregory and Denis Petukhov, who competed at the 2006 Turin Olympics and said they had known Shishkova and Naumov for nearly 30 years, wrote on Facebook.

Shishkova and Naumov were among many Russian skaters who sought a new life as coaches in the U.S. following the collapse of the Soviet Union. Their profiles on the Skating Club of Boston website stated that each had qualified as sports instructors in St. Petersburg, Russia, and that each had at least 20 years of coaching experience. They had also coached at the International Skating Center of Connecticut.

One of their top students was their own son, who won the U.S. junior men's title in 2020. He was named last week on the U.S. team to compete at next month's Four Continents Championships in South Korea and as an alternate for the world championships in Boston in March.

The Russian skating federation issued a statement of condolences Thursday.

“The Russian Figure Skating Federation, Russian skaters, coaches, judges and experts are shocked and deeply saddened by the tragedy which has occurred in Washington,” the federation said in a statement. "All of us express our sincere condolences to the families and friends of those who have died, and also to the U.S. Figure Skating Association, which has lost talented junior athletes and qualified coaches in this air disaster. Some of them were our compatriots and had made a significant contribution to (Russian) figure skating."

AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

Thousands of nurses go on strike at several major New York City hospitals

NEW YORK (AP) — Thousands of nurses in three hospital systems in New York City went on strike Monday after negotiations through the weekend failed to yield breakthroughs in their contract disputes.

The strike was taking place at The Mount Sinai Hospital and two of its satellite campuses, with picket lines forming. The other affected hospitals are NewYork-Presbyterian and Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx.

About 15,000 nurses are involved in the strike, according to New York State Nurses Association.

“After months of bargaining, management refused to make meaningful progress on core issues that nurses have been fighting for: safe staffing for patients, healthcare benefits for nurses, and workplace violence protections,” the union said in a statement issued Monday. “Management at the richest hospitals in New York City are threatening to discontinue or radically cut nurses’ health benefits.”

The strike, which comes during a severe flu season, could potentially force the hospitals to transfer patients, cancel procedures or divert ambulances. It could also put a strain on city hospitals not involved in the contract dispute, as patients avoid the medical centers hit by the strike.

The hospitals involved have been hiring temporary nurses to try and fill the labor gap during the walkout, and said in a statement during negotiations that they would “do whatever is necessary to minimize disruptions.” Montefiore posted a message assuring patients that appointments would be kept.

“NYSNA’s leaders continue to double down on their $3.6 billion in reckless demands, including nearly 40% wage increases, and their troubling proposals like demanding that a nurse not be terminated if found to be compromised by drugs or alcohol while on the job," Montefiore spokesperson Joe Solmonese said Monday after the strike had started. "We remain resolute in our commitment to providing safe and seamless care, regardless of how long the strike may last.”

New York-Presbyterian accused the union of staging a strike to “create disruption,” but said in a statement that it has taken steps to ensure patients receive the care they need.

"We’re ready to keep negotiating a fair and reasonable contract that reflects our respect for our nurses and the critical role they play, and also recognizes the challenging realities of today’s healthcare environment,” the statement said.

The work stoppage is occurring at multiple hospitals simultaneously, but each medical center is negotiating with the union independently. Several other hospitals across the city and in its suburbs reached deals in recent days to avert a possible strike.

The nurses’ demands vary by hospital, but the major issues include staffing levels and workplace safety. The union says hospitals have given nurses unmanageable workloads.

Nurses also want better security measures in the workplace, citing incidents like a an incident last week, when a man with a sharp object barricaded himself in a Brooklyn hospital room and was then killed by police.

The union also wants limitations on hospitals’ use of artificial intelligence.

The nonprofit hospitals involved in the negotiations say they’ve been working to improve staffing levels, but say the union’s demands overall are too costly.

Nurses voted to authorize the strike last month.

Both New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani had expressed concern about the possibility of the strike. As the strike deadline neared, Mamdani urged both sides to keep negotiating and reach a deal that “both honors our nurses and keeps our hospitals open.”

“Our nurses kept this city alive through its hardest moments. Their value is not negotiable,” Mamdani said.

State Attorney General Letitia James voiced similar support, saying "nurses put their lives on the line every day to keep New Yorkers healthy. They should never be forced to choose between their own safety, their patients’ well-being, and a fair contract.”

The last major nursing strike in the city was only three years ago, in 2023. That work stoppage, at Mount Sinai and Montefiore, was short, lasting three days. It resulted in a deal raising pay 19% over three years at those hospitals.

It also led to promised staffing improvements, though the union and hospitals now disagree about how much progress has been made, or whether the hospitals are retreating from staffing guarantees.