Max Naumov: The Olympics “would mean the absolute world” to me
In the kiss and cry, Naumov held a photo of himself at age three – on the ice for the first time, flanked by his parents. Shishkova and Naumov Sr. were world champion pairs skaters in the 1990s.
When his 85.72 score came up, Naumov’s emotions finally let out, and the tears flowed.
“I was thinking about them,” he said of the moment. “Their smile, their laugh, what they’d say to me, their words; it all replays in my head, especially in times like this, and I… love ‘em.”
The fight will continue Saturday (10 January) in the men’s free skate, where Naumov will be a contender for one of Team USA’s three quota spots in Italy.
Making it there, he says, would be the ultimate tribute.
“It’s the ultimate goal. It’s what my parents and I, one of our last conversations was exactly about that,” said Naumov. “And it would mean the absolute world to me to do so. That’s exactly what we’re fighting for. It’s what we wake up for, it’s what we go to bed for, every single day. That’s what I think about first thing in the morning and when I shut my eyes.”
*As National Olympic Committees have the exclusive authority for the representation of their respective countries at the Olympic Winter Games, athletes’ participation at Milano Cortina 2026 depends on their NOC selecting them to represent their delegation at the Games.