ST. LOUIS — Just shy of a year ago, after his best-ever free skate vaulted him from seventh to fourth at the 2025 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Maxim Naumov had a meeting with his parents. They took advantage of the window before the exhibition to regroup after his third-straight pewter medal. His mother, Evgenia Shishkova, was sick and back at the hotel. So he and his father went to her for the family session.

“It was a very productive, emotional and inspiring conversation,” Naumov said, his emotions stirring as he recalled the meeting. “It was difficult, looking back. … We didn’t want me to get sick, so I didn’t get a chance to hug her.”

Naumov’s father, Vadim, set a new edict at this meeting. He informed his 23-year-old son a change in mindset was needed. Consistency would be the attitude. Resilience the emphasis.

“Whether it was training, competing, off ice, on ice, all of that,” Naumov said. “And I carried that through all the way to this point.”

Pops was right. And Maxim Naumov made it to Milan. He was named Sunday as one of the three American men’s singles skaters for the 2026 Olympics. The significance of his accomplishment lies in the heartwarming sense he won’t be going alone.

So are Spencer Lane, 16, and Jinna Han, 13, his teammates from The Skating Club of Boston, and their mothers, Christine Lane and Jin Han.

So is Olivia Eve Ter, 12, and her mother, Olesya Taylor, representing the ION Skating Club in Virginia.

So are Sean Kay, 11, and his mother, Julia. And Kay’s partner, Angela Yang, 11. Both skaters were with the University of Delaware Figure Skating Club, and coach Sasha Kirsanov.

So is Brielle Beyer, 12, and her mother Justyna Magdalena Beyer, along with Cory Haynos, 16, and his parents, Roger and Stephanie, and Eddie Zhou and parents, Joe Zhou and Kaiyan Mao. They’re the pride of the Skating Club of Northern Virginia.

Franco Aparicio, 13, is going with his father, Luciano Aparicio. Everly Livingston, 14, and her sister Alydia, 11, are going with their parents, Donna and Peter. Their coach, Inna Volyanskaya, will be there, too. Representing the Washington (D.C.) Figure Skating Club.

Most important to Naumov, with him in his Winter Olympics debut, will be his parents. Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov.

“I know they’re looking down,” Maxim said. “Smiling and proud.”

All of those figure skaters, and parents, and coaches, who died last Jan. 29 in a tragic plane crash above the Potomac River, will have a presence at their sports pinnacle. Because Naumov kept going. He found his best skating when life treated him the worst.

On a day the sport celebrated its Winter Olympic selections, on a pedestal featuring stars Ilia Malinin, Amber Glenn and Alysa Liu, it was Naumov who stole the spotlight. Not even a year after he lost both of his parents, the only child summoned all of their lessons, passion and strength to produce the skate of his life Saturday at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships. After four consecutive fourth-place finishes, he broke through with a bronze. It was enough to get him a spot on the Olympic team.