Olympic great Nancy Kerrigan fights through tears as she talks about victims in tragic plane crash
2025-01-31
Category: sports

Nancy Kerrigan spoke at an emotional news conference on Thursday after six people with ties to the skating club where she competed died in an airline tragedy near Reagan International Airport near Washington, D.C. Kerrigan is one of the decorated members of the Skating Club of Boston, along with Dick Button, Tenley Albright and Paul Wylie. CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM  The Olympic silver medalist battled through tears as she spoke to reporters. Albright stood beside Kerrigan. "Much like everyone here has been saying, I’m not sure how to process it," she said, adding that her husband, who is her agent, kept getting calls to do interviews. "I didn’t feel like it was right to be home and do interviews for this. . . . We just wanted to be here and be a part of our community." The Skating Club of Boston identified Jinna Han and Spencer Lane as the two athletes who were killed in the crash. Their mothers and two coaches were also identified as victims. "I’ve never seen anyone love skating as much as these two, and that’s why I think it hurts so much. . . . Anytime I’ve been able to be here and watch them grow, the kids 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 just the skaters, because it’s just such a tragic event. LIVE UPDATES: MILITARY HELICOPTER COLLIDES WITH AIRCRAFT NEAR REAGAN NATIONAL AIRPORT  "We’ve been through tragedies before as Americans as people, and we are strong, and I guess it’s how we respond to it, and my response is to be with the people who I care about because I needed support. So, that’s why I’m here." Kerrigan hoped the families would find the courage and the strength to take the next steps. The Skating Club of Boston CEO Doug Zeghibe added that Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova,&nbsp;and Jin Han, the mother of Jinna, and Molly Lane, the mother of Spencer, had been identified as the other victims. He announced it in a statement earlier in the day. "Our sport and this Club have suffered a horrible loss with this tragedy," Zeghibe said in a statement posted to social media. "Skating is a tight-knit community where parents and kids come together six of seven days a week to train and work together. Everyone is like family. Of the skaters, coaches and parents on the plane, we believe six were from The Skating Club of Boston. We are devastated and completely at a loss for words.  CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP "These athletes, coaches, parents were returning from U.S. Figure Skating’s National Development Camp, following last week’s U.S. Championships in Wichita. This camp is for young competitive skaters of tomorrow with the promise to be a champion of tomorrow. The club sent 18 athletes to compete at the U.S. Championships. It sent 12 athletes to the National Development Camp." Follow Fox News Digital’s&nbsp;sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.