March 26 (UPI) — The 2025 ISU World Figure Skating Championships began Wednesday in Boston and included a tribute to figure skaters and others lost in the January 29 Flight 5342 air collision.
The special tribute honored the skaters who died while aboard American Airlines Flight 5432 as it attempted to land at the Washington, D.C., international airport but collided with an Army Black Hawk helicopter that was conducting a nighttime training mission.
Of the 67 passengers and crew who died on the airliner, 28 were members of the figure skating community, including their families and coaches. Three soldiers died in the Army helicopter.
The airliner was flying to Washington, D.C., from Wichita, Kan., following a U.S. figure skating event there.
The Skating Club of Boston is hosting the world championships at TD Garden arena and lost six members in the tragic air collision.
Guest speakers during the tribute included Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, ISU President Kim Jae Youl and U.S. Figure Skating interim Chief Executive Officer Samuel Azier.
The local skating community was represented by Doug Lane, who lost is son and wife in the air collision.
The special tribute was held between the women’s short program and pairs short program.
The spectacle at TD Garden in Massachusetts began with Japan’s Kaori Sakamoto in her attempt to win four consecutive titles.
The last person was an American, Carol Heiss, who won five in a row in the 1950s and 1960s.
In 2008, Mao Asada became the second competitor from Japan to win the women’s title at the World Figure Skating Championships in Gothenbureg, Sweden.
On Wednesday, it was reported that America’s Alysa Liu delivered what she described as the “best (skate) out of every competition.”
However, 25-year-old USA competitor Amber Glenn of Texas is looked at by some to clear the title.
Notably, the ice dance final at the world figure skating championships in Canada was delayed more than five hours in 1984 due to a power failure that left nearly 10,000 fans sitting in the dark.
Meanwhile, the last American to win a world title was Kimmie Meissner in Calgary in 2006.
Glenn’s past victories included the Cup of China, Grand Prix de France and Grand Prix Final and a second consecutive U.S. championship she narrowly bested over Liu.
Additionally, Nina Pinzarrone, the only Belgian skater this year following Loena Hendrickx’s string of bad luck which saw her skip the entire season, performed to Swan Lake while under the watchful eyes of Belgium’s Olympic committee having over her.
The ISU world championships will be broadcast on live major TV networks and other streaming platforms.
