Two teen figure skaters of Korean descent among victims of U.S. plane crash

The tragic crash of an American Airlines plane near Ronald Reagan Airport in Washington, D.C., has claimed the lives of two promising Korean-American figure skaters, Spencer Lane (16) and Gina Han (13) from the Boston Skating Club in Norwood, Massachusetts. Both were students of 1994 World Figure Skating Championships pairs champions Yevgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, who also perished in the accident.

According to CBS on Thursday (local time), citing a Boston Skating Club official, the two skaters were returning with their mothers when the crash occurred. They had participated in a training camp for elite figure skaters held from Monday to Sunday in Wichita, Kansas, the stopover of the ill-fated flight.

The domestic figure skating community has expressed deep sorrow. “The figure skating community is in mourning," said Kim Jae-yeol, president of the International Skating Union (ISU). "I extend my heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of all those who lost their lives in this terrible accident.” To honor the victims, a moment of silence was also observed at the ISU European Figure Skating Championships in Tallinn, Estonia.


Hyun-Seok Lim lhs@donga.com