Milan — When Maksim Naumov stepped on the Olympic ice at the 2026 Winter Games in Milan on Tuesday, he was not alone.

As the music started and the lights bounced off the rink, the 24-year-old American skater was fulfilling a dream he shared with his parents, former Olympic pair skaters Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov. Both were killed last year in mid-air collision over the Potomac River.

“It was a dream that they all had,” Susan Hamel-Bottari, a coach at the Boston Skating Club and a close family friend, told CBS News after Naumov skated. – He always says that it is not one, but three.

That dream played out at the Milano Ice Skating Arena during the men’s short program on Tuesday.

Just before he took the ice, a message flashed on the jumbotron above his head: “Mom and Dad, this is for you.”

Naumov then delivered one of the strongest skates of his career, earning a score of 85.65, enough to advance to the free skate round later this week.

But the numbers told only part of his story.

After finishing his program, he dropped to his knees and looked up. The crowd at the stadium also let out their emotions, giving him a standing ovation.

Later, he pulled out a photo of him standing on the ice between his parents for the first time as a little boy and future Olympian.

“I didn’t know whether to cry, smile or laugh,” Naumov said afterward. “I could only look up at them. I still can’t believe what just happened.”

Inside Team USA’s jacket was a short note — one of his father’s favorite reminders: “Expect the unexpected.”

The past year has tested that advice in unimaginable ways.

Shishkova and Naumov were among 67 people killed last year when the passenger plane they were on collided with a military helicopter near Washington, DC. They were on their way home from a skating development camp.

The tragedy devastated their close-knit skating community, including the Skating Club of Boston, which lost several members.

Hamel-Bottari remembers the shock of that day and what followed.

“I didn’t know how to answer him,” she said. – I just told him that I will always be there for him.

His resilience in the months since has been inspiring, Hamel-Bottari told CBS News.

“He would come to the rink every day, no matter what,” she said. “No matter what he was feeling inside, he showed up. He’s mentally tough. He’s a fighter.”

Naumov devoted himself to his training, finding both refuge and liberation.

“With every skate and every step I took on the ice, I couldn’t help but feel their presence,” he said. – Almost like a chess piece on a chess board.

In addition to his own competitive goals, Naumov also continued his parents’ work. They founded Tomorrow’s championsdevelopment program at the Skating Club of Boston designed to train young skaters through a rigorous combination of on-ice training, off-ice conditioning, gymnastics and ballet.

Even while training for the Olympics, Naumov continued to teach in the program.

“The kids love him,” Hamel-Bottari said. “He’s very positive. He’s learned from the best – both of them.”

Many of those young skaters watched Naumov take to the ice in Milan. Some traveled to Italy and held handmade signs with handprints and names. Others cheered from home.

“For us, as a Skating Club of Boston family, to see him and know what we’ve been through, it just brings tears to your eyes,” Hamel-Bottari said. “He made it tonight.”

Naumov said he wasn’t focused on perfection in his Olympic debut.

“I wanted to go out there and just give my heart out,” he said. “Leave it all out. Don’t regret it.”

Amidst all the inspiring Olympic stories, Naumov’s performance stood out for reasons far beyond results and standings.