US skaters pay heartbreaking tribute to victims of fatal DC plane crash with World Championships performance READ MORE: Orphaned skater Maxim Naumov reveals parents' final message By ISABEL BALDWIN Published: 14:10 GMT, 28 March 2025 | Updated: 14:10 GMT, 28 March 2025 Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov may have skated their way into Olympic qualifying but they insisted their performance was bigger than just them. The US skating duo clinched sixth place in the World Championships on Thursday at TD Garden in Boston, where they dedicate their skate to the victims of January's Washington DC plane crash. 67 people American Airlines flight collided with a Black Hawk helicopter midair over Washington DC on January 29. No one survived the collision, which sent both the commercial airliner and Army helicopter plummeting into the frigid Potomac River. The tragedy proved to be particularly devastating for the skating community with 28 of the 67 deceased passengers traveling on Flight 5342 from the US Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas. Among them, six hailed from the Skating Club of Boston where both Efimova and Mitrofanov train. And two months later, the pair shone the spotlight on their club and its grieving community as they paid tribute to the victims of the devastating crash at worlds. US skaters Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov paid tribute to the victims of the DC plane crash The US skating duo clinched sixth place in the World Championships on Thursday Efimova and Mitrofanov held up photos of the six crash victims from Boston - 13-year-old Jinna Han and her mom, Jin; 16-year-old Spencer Lane and his mom, Christine; and husband-and-wife coaching duo Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova - as they awaited their score. 'We feel very happy to make everybody proud from the Skating Club of Boston and everybody who came to TD Garden today who was affected by the plane crash,' said Mitrofanov, via Sports Illustrated. 'We wanted to dedicate the performance to everybody, and not just to us,' he added. 'Probably half the crowd was from the Skating Club of Boston.' Their 199.29 points in the pairs competition - the highest of any American tandem - was finally announced, ultimately sealing sixth place. The pairing's finish, along with seventh place by countrymen Ellie Kam and Danny O'Shea, helped the USA provisionally qualify three pairs - of the 16 available through the world championships - for the Winter Olympics next year in Milan. While Efimova and Mitrofanov may not be the pairing selected to fill one of those slots for the US, they still won the hearts of every fan inside TD Garden Thursday. The crowd roared and rushed to their feet as the closing notes of 'Je Suis Malade' by Forestella played out, leading Mitrofanov to grab his partner and spin her around to show her the standing ovation they received. The pairing were overcome with emotion after finishing their performance at TD Garden Efimova and Mitrofanov held up photos of the members of their community who died The crowd inside Boston's TD Garden roared and rushed to their feet at the end of their skate Married Russian skaters Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov were among the 67 killed 'He said, 'Watch!' said Efimova. 'And I was like, "Oh yeah, there's a crowd!"' 'I have no words to explain what I'm feeling right now,' Efimova told the in-arena hosts following their performance. 'Thank you, TD Garden. Thank you, Boston.' Originally from Finland, Efimova arrived in the United States in 2023 via Russia and Germany - having previously represented both nations. Mitrofanov, meanwhile, hails from Madison, Wisconsin but followed his coaches to the Skating Club of Boston in 2020. Washington DC Share or comment on this article: US skaters pay heartbreaking tribute to victims of fatal DC plane crash with World Championships performance Add comment