Azerbaijan’s UA Swimmer Sheikhalizadehkhanghah Shines at Paris Olympics

Weeks before starting her sophomore year at the University of Arizona, Maryam Sheikhalizadehkhanghah made her second Olympic appearance in Paris, competing in the 50-meter freestyle for team Azerbaijan. At just 20 years old, Sheikhalizadehkhanghah has earned recognition across multiple countries. Born in Iran, she moved to Azerbaijan at a young age to chase her swimming dreams, eventually relocating to the U.S. to attend and compete for the University of Arizona.

“It’s a really good feeling and I’m really glad that I could represent my country for a second time. I’m also really proud of myself because it’s a lot of challenges and hard work to be able to stay at this place,” Sheikhalizadehkhanghah said. “I’m also really proud that I also represent my university as a Wildcat here.”

Sheikhalizadehkhanghah’s swimming prowess became evident early on. At 11, she broke 13 national swimming records in Iran. By 14, she had been invited by the Swimming Federation of the Republic of Azerbaijan to represent the country internationally. At 17, she made history as the first woman to qualify for the Olympics in Iranian women’s swimming.

In 2021, Sheikhalizadehkhanghah debuted in the Tokyo Olympics, swimming the 100-meter butterfly. She excelled in her preliminary heat but did not advance further, ranking 30 out of 33 competitors overall. On August 3, she returned to the Olympic pool to swim the 50-meter freestyle, placing third in her heat with a time of 26.76 seconds, half a second behind the frontrunner Elizaveta Pecherskikh of Kyrgyzstan.

Though she didn’t reach the podium in either Olympics, Sheikhalizadehkhanghah expressed a preference for the Tokyo Games. “I really liked the last Olympic Games because everything was on time and with the schedule. But here, our competition pool is one hour from the Village,” she noted. She also commented on the food quality issues and the lack of air conditioning, which have been common complaints among athletes in Paris.

The Olympic Village in Paris, built in Saint-Denis, is located nine miles away from the swimming venue, La Défense Arena in Nanterre. Due to the hour-long travel in non-air-conditioned buses, some athletes, including six South Korean swimmers, chose to stay in hotels closer to the venue. “It feels kind of silly that we spend two hours a day just in the bus,” Sheikhalizadehkhanghah remarked.

As her time in Paris concludes, Sheikhalizadehkhanghah looks forward to returning to Arizona and competing in the newly formed Big12 Conference. “I’m really excited about Big12 because last year, I was a freshman and it was really amazing because it was the first and last time in the Pac-12 for me,” she said. “But this is Big12 and I think we will also come back really strong.”

The Big12 Conference now includes the University of Arizona, Arizona State University, University of Utah, and University of Colorado, expanding to 16 Division 1 universities. The University of Arizona welcomed new Swimming and Diving head coach Ben Loorz, who brings a record of success from the University of Nevada Las Vegas.

University of Arizona Vice President and Director of Athletics Desireé Reed-Francois praised Loorz, stating, “Coach Loorz is a proven leader who is nationally recognized in the swimming and diving community with a championship vision for our program. He is a tireless recruiter with an exceptional history of developing championship culture and will grow upon the legacy of the program as we enter the Big 12 Conference. We are proud to welcome Coach Loorz, his wife Jenn, and their family to the University of Arizona.”

Sheikhalizadehkhanghah is also eager to welcome the incoming freshman class of swimmers at the University of Arizona. “I really try to inspire them,” she said. “I want to help my teammates to be the best version of themselves.”