Two-time US Olympian Tonya Harding addressed which she called 'absolutely devastating.'. Harding, 54, shared a message to X in response to the tragic American Airlines and Army helicopter collision that unfolded Wednesday evening and claimed the lives of 67 people - six of whom were revealed to be members of the Skating Club of Boston. 'The events that took place last night in Washington, DC are absolutely devastating,' Harding wrote to X added with a broken heart emoji.

'I'm being told that several professional figure skaters were aboard the flight as well. Sending my love and prayers to all the victims and their families.'. US Figure Skating also released a statement on Thursday morning confirming that several of their very own were aboard the fatal flight. 'These athletes, coaches, and family members were returning home from the National Development Camp held in conjunction with the US Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas,' the post on X read.

'We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims' families closely in our hearts.'. Harding's post came just hours after Nancy Kerrigan, her long-time rival, broke down in tears as she spoke to reporters on Thursday outside the Boston skating club. Tonya Harding, two-time US Olympian, joined voices in the figure skating community to address the DC plane crash that claimed several lives of fellow members of US Figure Skating.

Harding's post came just hours after Nancy Kerrigan, her long-time rival, broke down in tears as she spoke to reporters on Thursday outside the Boston skating club. Kerrigan (right) was unable to compete in the 1994 championships after she was attacked and struck across the knee with a baton which was later revealed to be planned by Harding's (left) ex-husband, Jeff Gillooly, who aimed at stopping her competing.

Harding and Kerrigan's messages came after an American Airlines flight and Army helicopter collided on Wednesday evening and claimed the lives of 67 people - six of whom were revealed to be members of US Figure Skating. Kerrigan, 55, said she had watched the news all night after learning about the tragic events that occurred on Wednesday night. 'We’ve been through tragedies before as Americans, as people, and we’re strong. I guess it’s how we respond to it and my response is to be with people I care about,' she said. 'We just wanted to be here and be part of our community.

'I needed support, so that’s why I’m here. It's a shock. I was watching all night (on television) and when you find out you know some of the people on the plane it is an even bigger blow. 'We just wish them well, the families, the courage and the strength to make the next steps.'. Kerrigan is known across the world for being embroiled in one of the biggest scandals in sport when, in 1994, she was attacked and struck across the knee with a baton and left unable to compete in the upcoming US Figure Skating Championships.

It later emerged the attack was planned by Harding's ex-husband, Jeff Gillooly, who aimed at stopping her competing in the Winter Olympics that year, too. Gillooly hired assailant Shane Stant and his uncle to carry out the attack in Detroit, Michigan. Harding herself has always denied any knowledge about the plans. Doug Zeghibe, the CEO of the Skating Club of Boston in Norwood, Massachusetts, announced the names of the six people associated with his club who were on board.

In a post shared to X, 54-year-old Harding (pictured earlier in the week) called the collision 'absolutely devastating'. The collision unfolded just one day after Harding joined X - a move that many thought was controversial. Kerrigan (right) is known across the world for being embroiled in the 1994 scandal that marred Harding's (left) career. Figure skater, Spencer Lane, 16, (middle back) alongside Russian couple Evgenia Shishkova, (middle front) 53, and Vadim Naumov, 56, (right) have also been confirmed as passengers on the American Airlines flight.

They are: Jinna Han, Jin Han, Spencer Lane, Christine Lane, Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova. In total, he announced that there were at least 14 people on the plane associated with the figure skating group. His announcement came after Spencer Lane shared a photo from inside the doomed plane shortly before it crashed. The 16-year-old uploaded the photo around 7pm ET Wednesday, which appeared to show the jet taxiing on the runway at Wichita Airport before it took off for its final flight.

He captioned it ICT -> DCA - the codes for Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. Other elite members of the American figure skating team who were expected at the next winter Olympics were also onboard the plane, a bombardier CRJ700. In a statement, Zeghibe said: 'Our sport and this Club have suffered a horrible loss with this tragedy. 'Skating is a tight-knit community where parents and kids come together 6 or 7 days a week to train and work together. Everyone is like family.