Little more than a month after a tragic air disaster took the lives of 28 members of the US figure skating community, emotions were on full display Sunday in Washington, DC, for the “Legacy on Ice” tribute.

At the end of his figure skating performance, when the last note of his parents’ favorite song played in an arena packed with spectators and heavy with sorrow, Maxim Naumov dropped to his knees at the center of the ice. He remained there for what seemed like forever, awash in a spotlight, looking lost and sobbing.