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The titled champion figure skater, who played for Russia, died in a plane crash in the United States

Maksym InshakovSport

Former figure skater Alexander (Sasha) Kirsanov, who competed in ice dancing for the United States, Azerbaijan, and Russia, tragically died in a plane crash over the Potomac River on January 29. The news of his death was announced by his wife, figure skating coach Natalia Gudin.

Kirsanov was born on August 17, 1978, and has changed several sporting nationalities throughout his career. He achieved his greatest success competing for the United States in a duet with Kristi Moxley – the pair won bronze at the Nebelhorn Trophy in 2003, took fifth place at the U.S. Championships, and competed at the Skate America Grand Prix.

He previously represented Azerbaijan with Barbara Henley, winning the national championship and placing fifth at the Winter Universiade. Kirsanov was a member of the Russian national team with Olga Pogosyan, where the duo won silver at the Junior Grand Prix in Slovakia and finished 11th at the World Junior Championships.

Since retiring in 2004, Kirsanov has worked as a trainer and choreographer in Delaware.

The last time Natalia spoke to her husband, he was at Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport in Wichita.

"It's time to board," Gudin recalls, her husband telling her over the phone. They were to call again after he landed at Ronald Reagan National Airport in Virginia.

Instead, Gudin said, she received a call from the mother of one of the skaters on the same flight to inform her of the crash. "We need to go to Washington immediately," she said.

As OBOZ.UA reported, on the evening of January 29, a Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet of American Airlines, carrying 60 passengers and 4 crew members, collided in the air with a UH-60 Black Hawk military helicopter with three people on board. The plane was on its final approach when the crash occurred. The wreckage fell into the Potomac River.

Diving teams and other emergency services worked at the scene all night.

According to the latest reports, 30 bodies were found at the site of the tragedy. Among them are 14 figure skaters who were returning home, including Russian coaches, world figure skating champions Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova.

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