Plane Crash in Washington, D.C.:Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding react to the deaths of ice skaters
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| Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding respond to the sad deaths of ice skaters in a plane crash in Washington, D.C. |
A U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines aircraft collided on Wednesday, January 29, close to Reagan Washington National Airport. It is believed that all 67 passengers on both planes, including six members of a figure skating club in Massachusetts, are dead. Six of its members—two skaters, two instructors, and two parents—were later verified to be on board the American Airlines flight by the Norwood, Massachusetts-based Skating Club of Boston.
The 16-year-old skaters Spencer Lane and Jinna Han, as well as their mothers Christine Lane and Jin Han, were thought to be among the victims. The flight also included former Olympians Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova, a skating duo that represented Russia in the 1994 World Figure Skating Championship. Kerrigan sobbed as she discussed the tragic death of her fellow skaters at a press conference held Thursday at the Skating Club of Boston. She remarked, "I don't know how to accept this loss."
The children here put up a lot of effort. To provide for them, their parents give up something. "This is such a tragic event, and I just feel heartbroken for the athletes, the skaters, their families, and everyone on that plane," Kerrigan continued. The silver medalist clarified that spending time with her loved ones helped her deal with the tragedy.
"I needed help," she said. "I'm here for that reason. I'm not sure. simply taking things slowly. It is akin to a shock. Kerrigan added that she had seen Shishkova and Naumov, both of whom were coaches at the skating club, numerous times over the years, but she had never worked directly with them.
She described the couple as "always friendly and inviting to everyone." "I don't see them around anymore. Everyone, especially those who spend the most of their time here, will find it extremely unusual. Tonya Harding, a former figure skater, also tweeted her sympathies to the tragic victims.
What occurred last night in Washington, D.C., is extremely tragic," Harding wrote on Thursday, January 30. "I’m hearing that numerous professional figure skaters were on board. My thoughts and prayers go out to all the victims and their families."
Harding and Kerrigan were bitter rivals during their prosperous careers. When Kerrigan was attacked by a man employed by Harding's ex-husband in 1994, their notorious altercation turned into a global scandal. The 2017 movie *I, Tonya*, which starred Margot Robbie as Harding, later dramatized this scandal.
U.S. Figure Skating issued the following statement after the plane crash: "This unfathomable tragedy has shocked us, and our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims."
Ina Volyansky, a former skater for the Soviet Union, was also on the airplane, according to Virginia Representative Suhas Subramanyam. In a post on X (previously Twitter), he broke the news. Volyansky worked as a skating instructor at Virginia's Ashburn Ice House.
Another pair of skaters, Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko, were not on the trip. The Ice Academy for World Champions, their training facility, denied several rumors in Russian media by confirming this to *The Independent*.
The passenger jet had taken out from Wichita, Kansas, and was getting ready to land at Reagan National Airport when the horrific incident happened. The Black Hawk crew was aware of the incoming airliner, according to radio conversations between the chopper and the air traffic control tower.
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