The European figure skating championships carried on Thursday, even as the skating world mourned athletes who died when an American Airlines jet collided with an Army helicopter near Washington, D.C.

Reigning World Champion figure skater Illia Malinin, who won the competition in Wichita that his teammates had left from before dying in the plane crash in DC, posted on Instagram on Thursday, Jan. 30 that he was 'heartbroken' by their deaths.

Ilia Malinin, the reigning world and national champion in men's figure skating, shared a message on social media after the crash on the Potomac.

Ilia Malinin, the reigning world and national champion in men's figure skating, shared a message on social media after the crash on the Potomac.

World champion Ilia Malinin cruised to his third consecutive U.S. Figure Skating Championship on Sunday, landing six of his seven planned quad jumps in the free skate.

The U.S. skating community was in mourning on Thursday after learning several skaters were on an American Airlines regional passenger plane that crashed near Reagan Washington National Airport.

The figure skating community has reacted with sorrow over the news that several members of U.S. figure skating were on board the passenger plane that crashed Wednesday night. The American Airlines passenger jet collided with an Army helicopter as it approached the runway at Reagan National Airport.