Nancy Kerrigan spoke at an emotional press conference on Thursday after six people with links with the skating club where she competed died in a tragedy of the airline near Reagan International Airport near Washington, DC
Kerrigan is one of the decorated members of the Boston skating club, along with Dick Button, Tenley Albright and Paul Wylie.
CLICK HERE for more sports coverage at Foxnews.com
The former Olympic skateboard Nancy Kerrigan, right, is hugged while arriving at the Boston skating club with her fellow Olympic skateboard Tenley Albright, left, Thursday, January 30, 2025, in Norwood, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Kupa)
The Olympic silver medalist fought with tears while talking to journalists. Albright stopped with Kerrigan.
“Like everyone here, I am not sure how to process it,” she said, and added that her husband, who is her agent, continued to receive calls to do interviews. “I did not feel that it was right to be at home and do interviews for this … we only wanted to be here and be part of our community.”
The Boston skating club identified Jinna Han and Spencer Lane as the two athletes who were killed in the accident. Their mothers and two coaches were also identified as victims.
“I have never seen anyone who likes skating as much as these two, and that is why I think it hurts so much … Every time I have been able to be here and see them grow, the children here really work hard. Their parents work Hard to be here, but I feel for the athletes, their skaters, their families, anyone who was on that plane, not only the skaters, because it is such a tragic event.
Live updates: the military helicopter collides with airplanes near the Reagan National Airport
The bodies are located on the ground next to emergency vehicles, near the accident site after Flight 5342 of the Eagle American Chocó with a Black Hawk helicopter while approaching the Reagan Washington National Airport and crashed into the Potomac River , outside Washington, USA, on January 30, 2025 of 2025. (Carlos Barria/Reuters)
“We have gone through tragedies before as Americans as people, and we are strong, and I suppose it is how we respond to it, and my answer is being with the people who care because I needed support. So, that’s why I’m here.”
Kerrigan expected families to find courage and strength to take the next steps.
The CEO of the Boston skating club, Doug Zeghibe, added that Vadim Naumov and Shishkova Evgenia, and Jin Han, Jinna’s mother, and Molly Lane, Spencer’s mother, had been identified as the other victims. He announced it in an earlier statement in the day.
“Our sport and this club have suffered a horrible loss with this tragedy,” Zeghibae said in a statement posted on social networks. “Skating is a very close community where parents and children join six of the seven days a week to train and work together. They are all like the family. Skaters, coaches and parents on the plane, we believe that six They were from the Boston skating club.
The emergency response units respond to the scene of an American Airlines plane and a Black Hawk helicopter in the Potomac River in Arlington, Virginia, on Thursday, January 30, 2025. Wichita’s commercial flight, Kansas, collided with a Military helicopter last night. (Leigh Green for Pak Gazette Digital).
“These athletes, coaches, parents returned from the National Figure Patinage Field of the United States, after the American championships last week in Wichita. This camp is for young competitive skaters tomorrow with the promise of being a champion of the Tomorrow.
