Olympic figure skater Nancy Kerrigan gave an emotional interview describing the loss of several members of the skating community who died during the deadly American Airlines plane collision near Reagan National Airport.
“Much like everyone here has been saying is not sure how to process it,” she told MSNBC while in tears on Thursday at the Boston Skating Club.
Several members of the Massachusetts skating community were killed in the crash. Figure skaters Spencer Lane and Jinna Han were pronounced dead, along with their mothers Christine and Jin Han.
“I’ve never seen anyone love skating as much as these two.
“And that’s why I think it hurts so much. […] And anytime I’ve been able to be here and watch them grow, the kids here really work hard,” Kerrigan said in the interview.
“Their parents work hard to be here, but I just, I feel for the athletes, the skaters, their families, but anyone that was on that plane, not just the skaters, because it’s just such a tragic event. And we’ve been through tragedies before as Americans, as people, and we are strong,” she added.
The athletes were returning home from the National Development Camp held in conjunction with the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kan.
“We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims’ families closely in our hearts,” U.S. Figure Skating said in a statement.
“We will continue to monitor the situation and will release more information as it becomes available.”
