People on social media are reacting to the final performance of figure skaters Angela Yang and Sean Kay, young victims of the recent plane crash in Washington, D.C.
As news comes in of those killed in the plane and helicopter collision on Jan. 29, 2025, at Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., people are honoring and mourning the loss of many skilled young skaters who were called the future of American figure skating.
Angela Yang and Sean Kay, both 11 years old, were among those aboard the American Eagle Flight No. 5342 returning from the high development camp held after the 2025 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas.
According to a memorial post by The Skating Lesson on Facebook, the ice dance skaters were undefeated in the juvenile division this season, with “big plans for the future.” Yang and Kay had both started as solo skaters, with Kay planning to skate solo at the junior level starting next year while competing with partner Yang in intermediate next season.
The pair trained in Delaware under coach Natalya Gudina and her husband, Sasha Kirsanov, who was also aboard the flight, along with the pair’s mothers.
Social media reacts to the news of Angela Yang and Sean Kay’s passing
There has been an outpouring of support and collective grief in the figure skating community. Collin Rugg of Trending Politics posted a tribute to the skating duo with a video of their last performance of the season.
In his post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Rugg wrote, “Youth ice partners Angela Yang and Sean Kay were among the victims in the horrific DC plane crash last night. They were children. The video below is one of their final performances before the tragedy. Rest in peace.”
The post has been viewed over 6.9 million times, with nearly 1.9K quote-retweets and 4.5K comments.
“Just babies with their whole lives ahead of them 
,” wrote one person on X.
Another said, “Seeing all the children that were killed in this crash rips my heart out. So young and incredibly talented. Let this be a reminder that every day is a blessing.”
One mother shared her personal connection to the tragic events, saying, “This breaks my heart. I have a personal connection to US Figure Skating. My daughter was a figure skater and was on a USFS synchronized skating team. We flew to many different competitions all over the country just like these kids. This is a tragic loss.”
“Thank you sharing both of these young talented skaters. Rest in Peace sweet children with our heavenly angels. 
,” wrote a woman on The Skating Life’s Facebook post.
Another figure skating fan commented, “There are just no words for a loss this profound…so many young dreams crushed, so many young families broken and grieving, so many beautiful talents lost to the world. Thank you for these lovely tributes! Our hearts are breaking for the families of every one of these 67 beautiful souls…wishing I could give them all hugs of comfort.”
There were no survivors of the crash, which occurred on Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025, between the American Airlines airplane and military Sikorsky H-60 helicopter. There were 64 passengers and crew aboard the aircraft, with three military personnel aboard the helicopter. Recovery efforts are underway, with 14 plane victims missing as of Thursday night, according to CNN.
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