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Figure skating community mourns Washington D.C. plane crash victims: Tara Lipinski, Johnny Weir, Nancy Kerrigan give emotional tributes

yahoo sports staff
·2-min read

As news trickled out about the victims of the Washington D.C. plane crash, the figure skating community mourned several of its own.

U.S. Figure Skating announced on Thursday morning that "several members of our skating community" were aboard American Airlines Flight 5342 when it collided with a helicopter Wednesday night in Washington D.C.

There were 60 passengers and four crew members on the flight, including young skaters Spencer Lane, Jinna Han, their mothers, Christine Lane and Jin Han, and along their coaches, former world champions Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov.

Athletes, coaches and family members were returning home from a National Development Camp held after the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas.

Former figure skaters Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir opened their broadcast of the European Figure Skating Championships with an emotional tribute to those lost.

The European Figure Skating Championships are currently running through Feb. 2 in Tallinn, Estonia.

Ilia Malinin, who was the men's U.S. figure skating champion in Wichita last weekend, posted a statement on his Instagram story:

"I'm heartbroken by the tragic loss of my fellow skaters in this devastating accident," he wrote. "The figure skating community is a family, and this loss is beyond words. My thoughts are with their families, friends and everyone affected. We will never forget them."

Former Olympic figure skater Nancy Kerrigan gave a tearful interview from the Skating Club of Boston, where Lane and Han skated.

U.S. Figure skating said in its statement: "We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims’ families closely in our hearts. We will continue to monitor the situation and will release more information as it becomes available."

Team USA said, in part, "These Olympic hopefuls represented the bright future of Team USA, embodying the very essence of what it means to represent our country — perseverance, resilience, and hope. They were remarkable young people and talents, passionately pursuing their dreams, and they will forever hold a cherished place in the Team USA family."

Former Olympic champion Meryl Davis said the U.S. Championships are a "magical" time for the sport, and continued: "My heart is shattered thinking of those sweet young souls whose lives were cut so cruelly short, still buzzing from the magic of development camp in Wichita and full of hopes and dreams for the future."