Hours after a plane crash tragically claimed the lives of U.S. Figure Skating members, Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir opened the European Figure Skating Championships broadcast with a heartfelt tribute. On Wednesday evening, an American Airlines passenger jet, American Eagle Flight 5342, collided with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter near Ronald Reagan National Airport, crashing into the Potomac River. The incident involved three Army soldiers aboard the helicopter, with 60 passengers and four crew members on the jet, resulting in no expected survivors, marking it the deadliest U.S. air disaster since 2001.
Following the tragedy, U.S. Figure Skating confirmed that several members of its team were on the flight. Weir began the championship broadcast by addressing the immense sorrow within the skating community.
Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir open the European Figure Skating Championships today with a very emotional tribute to the victims of the plane crash in Washington D.C. last night
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“As we come on the air for the European Figure Skating Championships, we are all hurting today,” Weir shared, visibly touched. “We are absolutely heartbroken by the news that several members of our skating community were among those lost in the tragic plane crash in Washington D.C. last night.” He conveyed messages from U.S. Figure Skating, the International Skating Union, and IOC president Thomas Bach, before leading a moment of silence held in the arena.
After the silence, Lipinski, tearfully reflecting on the “unimaginable loss,” expressed her sorrow for the skating community and its families. “My heart is completely broken for our skating community, their families and loved ones,” she stated. “This loss resonates deeply with all of us, and it is so widespread throughout our close-knit family. Although our community won’t be the same, we will always honor their memory.”
It was reported that 14 members of the skating community were on the flight. Six were from the Skating Club in Boston, including two coaches, two athletes and their mothers: Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, skater Spencer Lane with his mother Christine, and skater Jinna Han with her mother Jin. They were returning from the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas, where 18 skaters traveled from the Boston club, and 12 stayed for a training camp.
“My whole heart is with everybody affected by this terrible tragedy,” Weir added emotionally. “We are profoundly saddened for your loss.”
