Nargiz Süleymanova

Nargiz Süleymanova (born 6 September 2004) is a German-Azerbaijani figure skater. Competing for Azerbaijan, she is the 2025 Bosphorus Cup champion and the 2026 Merano Ice Trophy silver medalist.

Süleymanova represented Germany until 2021 and is the 2020 German junior national champion.

Süleymanova was born on 6 September 2004 in Mühlhausen, Germany. Her family is from Azerbaijan.^[1] Süleymanova was raised in Cologne.^[2] She was inspired by Katarina Witt as a child.^[1]

Süleymanova is a Lady Gaga fan. She has been involved in the creative process of choreographing her programs.^[3]

Süleymanova began skating in 2010 at six years old after watching figure skating competitions on televisions with her mother.^[1] Her first coach was Galina Zubkova.^[2]

Süleymanova debuted as a junior internationally at the NRW Trophy where she won bronze. Having won the silver medal in the novice division at the Coupe du Printemps the prior season, she was named to her first Junior Grand Prix event, the 2019 JGP France in August of that year. Süleymanova placed 24th at the event. She then placed 4th at the Denis Ten Memorial Challenge before winning bronze at her next event, Golden Bear.^[2]

In December 2019, Süleymanova won the 2020 German Junior Championships, qualifying her a spot to the 2020 World Junior Championships. She finished 19th at the World Junior Championships.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020–21 ISU Junior Grand Prix was cancelled. Süleymanova competed twice internationally, finishing 4th at the Volvo Open Cup and then withdrawing from the NRW Trophy after finishing 9th in the short program. At the 2021 German Championships, she competed at the senior level. Süleymanova was 5th of five skaters in the short program and subsequently withdrew from the free skate.

Süleymanova placed 8th at 2021 JGP France and 16th at 2021 JGP Slovakia to start the season. She competed internationally at the senior level for the first time at 2021 CS Lombardia Trophy, placing 21st in the short program before withdrawing. Süleymanova then finished 6th at 2021 CS Denis Ten Memorial Challenge and 10th at the NRW Trophy.

After 2021, Süleymanova took a three-year break as she wished to switch her nationality which, under International Skating Union rules, required refraining from two years of competition.^[4] She had a longtime desire to represent her parents' native Azerbaijan, expressing her "deep love for her homeland".^[1] Süleymanova did not skate at all for two years to focus on her education, graduating from gymnasium during her break with high marks.^[1]

As part of her return to skating, Süleymanova attended a camp in Luxembourg where she met Canadian coach and choreographer Joey Russell. With the support of the Azerbaijan Winter Sports Federation, she relocated to Toronto, Canada to train with Russell, Tracy Wilson, and Brian Orser at the Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club.^[3]

Süleymanova returned to competition at the 2024 CS Warsaw Cup where she finished 16th. While she felt nerves due to her first time representing the Azerbaijani national team, she said: "Of course, it was a bit difficult to step back onto the ice after such a long break. But now, I’m training with even more enthusiasm because I’m representing my homeland, Azerbaijan."^[1] Süleymanova also placed 16th at the 2024 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb.

In January 2025, Süleymanova placed fifth at the Sofia Trophy and also earned her minimums to compete at the 2025 World Championships in Boston, the main goal of her competing.^[5] After the Sofia Trophy, Gunay Badalova, the General Secretary of the Azerbaijan Winter Sports Federation, noted that Süleymanova had impressed in recent competitions and that she hoped Süleymanova "will represent our country with dignity in Boston as well".^[6] As preparation ahead of World Championships, Süleymanova then placed 8th at the Bavarian Open and 10th at the Sonja Henie Trophy.^[7]

At the 2025 World Championships, Süleymanova was 25th in the short program and narrowly missed qualifying to the free skating, finishing only 0.01 points behind Lithuania's Meda Variakojytė.^[8] As a result, she did not qualify a quota for Azerbaijan at the 2026 Winter Olympics.^[3] Her coach, Joey Russell, described the situation as "incredibly difficult to process", but emphasized Süleymanova's very recent return to the sport at the time.^[3]

Süleymanova opened the season at Skate to Milano in September, the final qualification event for the 2026 Winter Olympics. She finished 12th and did not earn a quota for Azerbaijan.^[9]

Süleymanova placed 14th at the 2025 CS Trialeti Trophy and 4th at Ice Challenge. She then won her first international title at the Bosphorus Cup despite a mistake on her triple-triple combination in the short program, an element she had only recently added into her program.^[3] Süleymanova's result also qualified her for the 2025 European Championships.^[10] In December, she finished 17th at the 2025 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb.

At the 2025 European Championships, Süleymanova became the first ethnic Azerbaijani to represent the country at the European Championships as all prior representatives had been foreign-born athletes.^[10] She finished 30th in the short program and did not advance to the free skating. Süleymanova rebounded at the 2026 Merano Ice Trophy, where she won the silver medal behind Marina Piredda of Italy. She then finished 6th at the EDGE Cup.

• Nargiz SUELEYMANOVA at the International Skating Union
• Nargiz Sueleymanova on Instagram