By Molly Goddard
9:26am PST, Jan 31, 2025
The American Airlines plane crash was personal for
Nancy Kerrigan.
The Olympic figure skater, 55, spoke out after athletes, coaches and parents who trained at the Skating Club of Boston — where Kerrigan is from — sadly lost their lives in the deadly airliner and helicopter
collision on Wednesday, January 29, over Washington, D.C., while returning home from a national development camp in Wichita, Kan.
Join us to hear how emotional the medalist was over the heartbreaking event…
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"We've been through tragedies before as Americans, as people and we are strong," Kerrigan said while addressing the media at the Norwood, Mass., facility. "I guess it's how we respond to it and so my response is to be with people I care about and I love and I needed support, so that's why I am here."
According to the club,
Jinna Han, a young figure skater and her mother,
Jin Han, were two of the passengers on the flight. 16-year-old athlete
Spencer Lane and his mom were also among the
victims.
"I've never seen anyone love skating as much as these two and that's why I think it
hurts so much," Kerrigan said of the sudden deaths.
"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," she explained while holding back tears.
"I didn't feel like it was right to be home and do interviews for this," the
sports legend said after revealing that her husband,
Jerry Solomon — who also acts as her manager — was fielding calls to speak on the matter. "We just wanted to be here and be a part of our community."
American Airlines Flight 5342 — holding 60 passengers and four crew members — crashed into a Black Hawk Army helicopter a little before 9 p.m. ET on Wednesday over the Potomac River. The commercial aircraft was on approach to Runway 33 at Reagan Washington National Airport.
Upon receiving the
horrific news about their beloved members, The Skating Club of Boston CEO
Doug Zeghibe spoke out.
"Our sport and this Club have suffered a horrible loss with this tragedy," the message shared to social media read. "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."
"This is a difficult day for all of us at American Airlines and our efforts now are focused entirely on the needs of our passengers, crew members, partners,
first responders, along with their families and loved ones," the airline company's CEO
Robert Isom said in a statement.
"We understand and appreciate the people are eager for information, please know that we will continue to share accurate and timely information as soon as we can, but anything we must report, must be accurate," he emphasized.
President
Donald Trump addressed the worst aviation disaster in America involving a commercial aircraft since 2009 during a Thursday, January 30, press conference at the White House.
"As one nation, we grieve for every precious soul that has been taken from us so suddenly," he said.
Kerrigan's former nemesis
Tonya Harding took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to express her sorrow over the loss.
"The events that took place last night in Washington, D.C., are absolutely devastating," she penned. "I'm being told that several professional figure skaters were aboard the flight as well. Sending my love and prayers to all the victims and their families."
