Vadim Naumov

Vadim Vladimirovich Naumov (Russian: Вадим Владимирович Наумов; 7 April 1969 – 29 January 2025) was a Russian pair skater. With his wife Evgenia Shishkova, he was the 1994 world champion and the 1995–96 Champions Series Final champion.

Shishkova and Naumov were introduced in 1985 by Naumov's coach who wanted them to skate together. Naumov initially rebuffed the idea because he did not wish to change partners, however after a number of tryouts, he and Shishkova agreed to be a team . They began competing together in 1987.

In 1991, Shishkova/Naumov won bronze at their first European Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria and placed 5th at the World Championships in Munich, Germany. During the next season they competed at their first Olympics, the 1992 Olympics in Albertville, France placing fifth. The pair won their first world medal–bronze–at the 1993 World Championships in Prague. In 1993, the pair finished in 4th place at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway and they ended the season by becoming world champions in Chiba, Japan east of Tokyo.

Shishkova/Naumov picked up their third world medal, a silver medal, in 1995. From 1991–1995, they also won five European Championships' figure skating medals. In February 1996, they won gold at the 1995–96 Champions Series Final (later renamed the Grand Prix Final) in Paris.

At the 1996 World Championships in Edmonton, Alberta, Shishkova/Naumov were third after the short program. In the long program, four judges gave first-place votes to Marina Eltsova / Andrei Bushkov who finished as the gold medalists, and four judges voted in favor of Shishkova/Naumov. However, low scores from the other five judges left them off the podium in 4th place. Shishkova/Naumov did not make the 1998 Winter Olympic team for Russia. They decided to retire from ISU competition in 1998 and skate as professionals. The pair won the World Professional Championships in April 1998. Next they transitioned into coaching, working at the International Skating Center in Simsbury, Connecticut northwest of Hartford. They moved and became coaches for the Skating Club of Boston in Norwood, Massachusetts west of Quincy in February 2017.

Shishkova and Naumov married in Saint Petersburg, Russia in August 1995. They lived in Simsbury in 1998. Their son, Maxim Naumov, was born in August 2001 and competes in men's singles for the United States.

On 29 January 2025, Naumov and Shishkova were passengers on American Eagle Flight 5342, and died when a U.S. Army Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter collided with the plane while the jet was on approach to land at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, killing all 67 people on both aircraft. They were returning from Wichita, Kansas, where they participated in a development camp for young skaters, days following the 2025 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. The Skating Club of Boston, where the couple coached, lost six skaters in the crash. Their son, Maxim, who had competed at the U.S. Championships, was not onboard the plane, having flown out of Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport two days before the crash took place.

With Shishkova:^{[citation needed]}

GP: Champions Series (Grand Prix)

With Shishkova:

• 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

• Vadim Naumov at IMDb