At the close of the men's competition at the 2025 Prevagen U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas, Maxim Naumov found himself in a familiar position — fourth.
It was the third consecutive season that the Boston-trained Naumov earned the pewter medal, falling just short of a possible World Championships team berth. Though frustrating at times, Naumov's consistency of finishing near the top of the field signaled that he could be on the verge of realizing his lifelong goal of making the Olympic team.
Just mere days after the competition was over, Naumov lost his parents in the American Airlines Eagle Flight 5342 crash that sent shockwaves through the figure skating community. Originally invited to compete at the Four Continents Championships soon after, Naumov withdrew from the event and surrounded himself with support from loved ones.
Max Naumov performs his short program at the 2025 U.S. Championships. Danielle Earl/U.S. Figure Skating
For a time, Naumov was unsure if he would be ready to return to the rigors of a daily training schedule; however, earlier this summer, the 24-year-old announced his intention to prepare for the new season. Without a support team in place, the first order of business was to assemble a group of professionals who could guide Naumov in what might be the most important season of his career thus far. He selected longtime family friend Vladimir Petrenko as his new head coach and renowned choreographer Benoit Richaud to create his new programs this season.
"I've worked with Vladimir in the past in Connecticut when I was younger. His sons and I grew up together, and they are my best friends," Naumov said. "Our families were close both on and off the ice, and sometimes my dad and Vladimir would share coaching responsibilities for some of their students. I worked with him on technique when I was younger, and he helped me a great deal in that regard. I needed someone who could help me get back into shape and regain my jumps, and [Petrenko] is someone I've known my whole life and can trust to guide me on this journey."
Conversely, Naumov and Richaud were not well acquainted before they entered into a partnership this season. Though the two have met and have had conversations, working with the self-proclaimed "psychologist of movement" was exactly the creative perspective that Naumov needed to balance out his support team. The collaboration began with an invitation for the 2020 U.S. junior champion to participate in Richaud's Peak Ice camps in Italy and France earlier this summer.
"It was difficult to begin to trust somebody, because there was never a question with my parents. They knew me almost better than I know myself," he said. "Immediately, however, Benoit was welcoming and told me that he was there to help me in any way possible. Through the camp experience, I got to know his method and his style and seeing him work with his students every day gave me a lot of information about how the coach-student dynamic works with him."
Richaud's invitation was open-ended, giving Naumov the freedom to decide how much time and when he would attend the training camp. Though he originally committed to a two-week stay, it soon became apparent to Naumov that it was exactly where he needed to be.
"Benoit said that I could stay for as long as I would like and that we would try different things," Naumov said. "Having that flexibility was so incredibly freeing to me, and it was like doors just opened for me. It was actually a difficult decision for me to make, because there were a lot of opinions, but this seemed to be the right thing to do. After talking with Benoit again, we decided to go all in, and those two weeks turned into four, then five, and ultimately, I stayed for seven weeks to work with him."
During that time, Richaud and Naumov created two new programs for the Olympic season. For the short program, the duo selected Chopin's "Nocturne No. 20", a solo piano piece that immediately resonated with the three-time U.S. pewter medalist.
"Something immediately struck me about the piece," Naumov said. "I had heard it before, but when I heard the polished cut version, I wanted to skate to it. We immediately began working on it and just freestyling to come up with some things that were organic to me. It's such a deep and emotional program and it's hard for me to feel like I have connected to a program more than this one given everything that has happened and what I am this season."
The free skate will be set to The Irrepressible's chamber pop anthem "In This Shirt," which speaks to loss and longing at the close of a relationship. Naumov describes the program as a deeply personal character-driven vehicle that has pushed the limits of his comfort zone in almost every direction.
Max Naumov displays his U.S. National Team jacket.
Photo by Janet Liu /U.S. Figure Skating
"In sinking into the character of the program, I have to pull as much out of me to really push the envelope," he said. "I'm constantly trying to make myself uncomfortable so that I can find a way out of it — specifically, discovering the intent of the movement to level it up. Benoit is so creative in his process that oftentimes there are moves that you might feel are weird or uncomfortable, but he asks you to trust that it will make sense with time. He's given me deeply personal programs, and I have been able to connect with them so much over the last two months."
Naumov's primary goal this season is to earn a place on the three-person Olympic team that will represent Team USA in Milano-Cortina, Italy, early next year. However, to have a shot at achieving that goal, he realizes that he needs to take tactical steps forward in support of the body of work criteria that will be used to select the team.
"I think that there is an opportunity for me to make a strong case to be part of the team" Naumov said. "I know that there is a lot that needs to be done — training, program development and, most of all, performing with consistency. For now, we are setting small goals that we set by month and by stage of the season. Most of all, I want to continue an upward trajectory and continue to get better and better."
Naumov makes his season's debut at the Lombardia Trophy, a Challenger Series event this week in Lombardia, Italy. A month later, he will compete in the first stop of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating in Angers, France, at the Grand Prix de France. Though he does not currently have events scheduled for November or December, Naumov would welcome the opportunity to keep his competitive juices flowing as he looks toward the 2026 Prevagen U.S. Championships in St. Louis, in January.
"I am always ready for the opportunity to compete, but I'm focusing on one thing at a time right now — one training day at a time, one competition at a time, et cetera," he said. "I think that it is always better to take advantage of opportunities, and I plan to be as prepared as possible for the ones that are in front of me."
