Two months ago, after easily winning his third straight U.S. Figure Skating national title, Ilia Malinin showed up at his rink to train for the world championships, yet could not bring himself to skate for even a second.
Malinin, the overwhelming gold medal favorite for next year’s Olympics in Italy, had laced up his skates, looked around, and felt an emptiness that stopped him.
That week, 28 people involved in skating had died when an Army helicopter collided with a passenger jet over the Potomac River, killing all 67 passengers. Among them were young skaters, including three from the Washington Figure Skating Club, Malinin’s club, and others who at times would use the rink in Reston, Va.