{{short description|Slovak-American figure skater}} {{Use mdy dates|date=February 2026}} {{Infobox figure skater |name= Nicole Rajičová |image= Nicole Rajicova 2015.jpg |caption= Rajičová in 2015 |full_name= |altname= Nicole Rajic |birth_date= {{birth date and age|1995|8|13|mf=yes}} |birth_place= Garden City, New York, U.S. |hometown= |height= {{cvt|1.63|m|order=flip}} |country= Slovakia |coach= Igor Krokavec, Nikolai Morozov, Tom Rajic |skating club= SKP Bratislava |beganskating= 1998 |retired= |discipline = Women's singles |medalrecord = {{Figure skating infobox medals|nationals=Slovak|country={{SVK}} |NC = {{FS medal|g|NC|nationals=Slovak|2013|Cieszyn|w}}{{FS medal|g|NC|nationals=Slovak|2015|Budapest|w}}{{FS medal|g|NC|nationals=Slovak|2016|Třinec|w}}{{FS medal|g|NC|nationals=Slovak|2017|Katowice|w}}{{FS medal|g|NC|nationals=Slovak|2019|Budapest|w}}{{FS medal|g|NC|nationals=Slovak|2021|Cieszyn|w}}{{FS medal|s|NC|nationals=Slovak|2012|Ostrava|w}} }} }}
'''Nicole Rajičová''' or '''Rajic''' (born August 13, 1995) is a Slovak-American figure skater who represents Slovakia in ladies' singles. She is the 2014 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb bronze medalist, the 2013 Merano Cup silver medalist, the 2013 Bavarian Open bronze medalist, the 2013 Ice Challenge bronze medalist, and a five-time Slovak national champion (2013, 2015–2017, 2019).
She placed 24th at the 2014 Winter Olympics and 14th at the 2018 Winter Olympics.
== Personal life == Nicole Rajičová was born August 13, 1995, in Garden City, New York.<ref name=ISU-1516b/> She is also known as Nicole Rajic; Rajičová is the Slovak feminine form. Her parents, Anna and Tomislav Rajič (Tom Rajic), moved to the United States from Slovakia.<ref name=Cas130301/><ref name=TASR141003/><ref name=Osporte140222/> She received her undergraduate degree from Fordham University's Gabelli School of Business.<ref name=WSJ180208>{{cite web|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/why-cant-a-city-of-8-million-produce-a-single-olympic-athlete-1518085800|title=Why Can't a City of 8 Million Produce a Single Olympic Athlete?|first=Melanie Grayce|last=West|website=The Wall Street Journal|date=February 8, 2018}}</ref>
== Career == ===Early years=== By the age of five, Rajičová began taking figure skating lessons in Long Island from Milada Kubikova-Stastny (Šťastná-Kubíková),<ref name=Osporte140222/> a former Olympian for Czechoslovakia. Early in her career, she competed as Nicole Rajic in U.S. regional and domestic events.<ref name=USNat2011/>
===2011–12 to 2012–13=== Rajičová debuted internationally for Slovakia in December 2011 at the Golden Spin of Zagreb. She began appearing in ISU Junior Grand Prix (JGP) events in autumn 2012 and became the Slovak national champion at the 2013 Three Nationals Championships.<ref name=3nats1213/>
===2013–14 season: Sochi Olympics=== Rajičová competed at two JGP events in September 2013, placing eighth in Košice, Slovakia and fifteenth in Gdańsk, Poland. Her first senior ISU Championship was the European Championships in January 2014 in Budapest, Hungary. Ranked fourteenth in the short program, she advanced to the free skate and finished seventeenth. In March, she competed at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia; she qualified for the free skate by placing twenty-first in the short program and finished twenty-fourth overall.<ref name=sochi-NR/>
Rajičová just missed qualifying for the free skate at the 2014 World Championships in Saitama, Japan after placing twenty-fifth in the short program.
===2014–15 season=== During the 2014–15 JGP season, Rajičová placed fourth in Ljubljana, Slovenia in August and fourth in Zagreb, Croatia in October. In November, she competed for the first time on the ISU Challenger Series (CS), finishing sixth at the 2014 CS Ice Challenge. In December, she won the bronze medal at the 2014 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb.
In January, Rajičová finished eleventh at the 2015 European Championships in Stockholm, Sweden, having ranked eighth in the short program and twelfth in the free skate. In early March, she competed at the 2015 World Junior Championships in Tallinn, Estonia; she placed fifth in the short, thirteenth in the free, and eleventh overall. Later that month, she finished fifteenth in Shanghai, China at the 2015 World Championships after placing fourteenth in the short and fifteenth in the free.
===2015–16 season: Grand Prix debut=== Rajičová placed ninth at the 2015 CS Ondrej Nepela Trophy. Making her Grand Prix (GP) debut, she placed seventh at the 2015 Skate America and 2015 Cup of China. At the 2016 Europeans in Bratislava she placed twelfth, and at the 2016 Worlds in Boston she placed thirteenth.
=== 2016–17 season === Ranked seventh in the short, sixth in the free, and sixth overall, Rajičová achieved her career-best continental result at the 2017 European Championships in Ostrava, Czech Republic.
=== 2017–18 season: Pyeongchang Olympics === Rajičová was given two Grand Prix assignments for the season, the 2017 NHK Trophy, where she placed tenth, and the 2017 Skate America, where she placed ninth. At the 2018 European Championships in Moscow, she placed ninth in the short program and sixth in the free skate, finishing in sixth place.
At the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, Rajičová again represented Slovakia. She finished thirteenth in the short program and fifteenth in the free skate, ranking fourteenth overall. She concluded the season at the 2018 World Championships in Milan, where she placed twenty-seventh and for the first time in four years did not qualify for the free skate.
=== 2018–19 season === Rajičová was assigned to two Grand Prix events, the 2018 Skate America and the 2018 Grand Prix of Helsinki, but withdrew from both of them, as well as the 2018 CS Ondrej Nepela Trophy. Her participation in the remainder of the season was in doubt for some time afterward. She returned to training in October following an eight-month hiatus, and won another Slovak national title.
Competing internationally for the first time at the 2019 European Championships, she placed fifth in the short program, and expressed happiness with the result, saying "two weeks ago, I didn’t know if I was going to compete because I wasn’t in the shape I wished I was in."<ref name=GS190123/> She placed twelfth in the free program, dropping to ninth overall, and said that the skate "started off quite well and then my legs collapsed. It was quite a fight. I got so tired I couldn’t even handle double Axels. It is what it is. I just have to go and do more run-throughs."<ref name=GS190125/>
=== 2020–21 season === Rajičová placed fifth at the 2021 Four National Championships, taking the Slovakian national title.<ref name=ISU-NR/>
=== 2021–22 season === Rajičová attempted to qualify a berth for Slovakia at the 2022 Winter Olympics by competing at the 2021 CS Nebelhorn Trophy, but placed eighteenth, outside of qualification.<ref name=ISU-NR/>
== Programs == {|class=wikitable style=text-align:center ! Season ! Short program ! Free skating |- ! 2020–2021 <br> <ref name=ISU-2122/> | * Une page d'amour <br>{{small| by Nathalia Mansner }} | * Rain, In Your Black Eyes <br>{{small| by Ezio Bosso }} |- ! 2020–2021 <br> | * Liebesträume No. 3 <br>{{small| by Franz Liszt}} | * La Terre Vue Du Ciel <br>{{small| by Armand Amar }} |- ! 2018–2019 <br> <ref name=ISU-1819/> | * Love Story <br>{{small| by Francis Lai}} | * Doctor Zhivago <br>{{small| by Maurice Jarre }} |- ! 2017–2018 <br><ref name=ISU-1718/> | * Une page d'amour <br> {{small| by Nathalia Mansner}} | rowspan=2 | * Rain In Your Black Eyes <br>{{small| by Ezio Bosso }} |- ! 2016–2017 <br> <ref name=ISU-1617/> | * Love Story <br>{{small| by Francis Lai }} |- ! 2015–2016 <br> <ref name=ISU-1516b/><ref name=ISU-1516a/> | * Romeo and Juliet: Love Theme <br>{{small| by Nino Rota }} ---- * Feeling Good <br>{{small| performed by Jennifer Hudson }} | * Doctor Zhivago <br>{{small| by Maurice Jarre }} |- ! 2014–2015 <br> <ref name=ISU-1415/> | * Romeo and Juliet: Love Theme <br>{{small| by Nino Rota }} | * Anna Karenina <br>{{small| by Dario Marianelli }} |- ! 2013–2014 <br> <ref name=ISU-1314/> | * Papa, Can You Hear Me? <br>{{small| (from Yentl) <br> by Michel Legrand }} | * Tango Amore <br>{{small| by Edvin Marton }} |- ! 2012–2013 <br> <ref name=ISU-1213/> | rowspan=2 | * Malagueña <br>{{small| by Ernesto Lecuona }} | * Liebestraum <br>{{small| by Franz Liszt }} |- ! 2010–2011 | * La bohème <br>{{small| by Giacomo Puccini }} |}
== Results == ''GP: Grand Prix; CS: Challenger Series; JGP: Junior Grand Prix''
=== For Slovakia === thumb|Rajičová at the 2018 European Championships {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" |- ! style="background-color: #ffdead; " colspan=12 align=center | International<ref name=ISU-NR/> |- ! Event ! 11–12 ! 12–13 ! 13–14 ! 14–15 ! 15–16 ! 16–17 ! 17–18 ! 18–19 ! 19–20 ! 20–21 ! 21–22 |- | align=left | Olympics || || || 24th || || || || 14th || || || || |- | align=left | Worlds || || || 25th || 15th || 13th || 17th || 27th || 32nd || || || |- | align=left | Europeans || || || 17th || 11th || 12th || 6th || 6th || 9th || || || |- | align=left | {{small|GP}} Skate America || || || || || 7th || || 9th || WD || || || |- | align=left | {{small|GP}} Cup of China || || || || || 7th || || || || || || |- | align=left | {{small|GP}} Finland || || || || || || || || WD || || || |- | align=left | {{small|GP}} Rostelecom || || || || || || 7th || || || || || |- | align=left | {{small|GP}} NHK Trophy || || || || || || 11th || 10th || || || || |- | align=left | {{small|CS}} Cup of Tyrol || || || || || || || || || || C || |- | align=left | {{small|CS}} Golden Spin || || || || bgcolor=cc9966 | 3rd || || || || || || || |- | align=left | {{small|CS}} Ice Challenge || || || || 6th || || || || || || || |- | align=left | {{small|CS}} Lombardia || || || || || || WD || || || || || |- | align=left | {{small|CS}} Nebelhorn || || || || || || || || || || || 18th |- | align=left | {{small|CS}} Ondrej Nepela || || || || || 9th || 5th || 7th || WD || WD || || |- | align=left | {{small|CS}} Warsaw Cup || || || || || 5th || || || || || || |- | align=left | Bavarian Open || || bgcolor=cc9966 | 3rd || || || || || || || || || |- | align=left | Cup of Tyrol || || || || || || || || 4th || || || |- | align=left | Golden Spin || 12th || || || || || || || || || || |- | align=left | Ice Challenge || || 7th || bgcolor=cc9966 | 3rd || || || || || || || || |- | align=left | Merano Cup || || bgcolor=silver | 2nd || || || || || || || || || |- | align=left | New Year's Cup || || 7th || || || || || || || || || |- | align=left | NRW Trophy || || || bgcolor=cc9966 | 3rd || || || || || || || || |- | align=left | Ondrej Nepela || || 19th || 6th || || || || || || || || |- ! style="background-color: #ffdead; " colspan=12 align=center | International: Junior<ref name=ISU-NR/> |- | align=left | Junior Worlds || || 30th || || 11th || || || || || || || |- | align=left | {{small|JGP}} Croatia || || || || 4th || || || || || || || |- | align=left | {{small|JGP}} Poland || || || 15th || || || || || || || || |- | align=left | {{small|JGP}} Slovakia || || || 8th || || || || || || || || |- | align=left | {{small|JGP}} Slovenia || || 15th || || 4th || || || || || || || |- | align=left | {{small|JGP}} U.S. || || 13th || || || || || || || || || |- ! style="background-color: #ffdead; " colspan=12 align=center | National<ref name=ISU-NR/> |- | align=left | Slovak Champ. || bgcolor=silver | 2nd || bgcolor=gold | 1st || 4th || bgcolor=gold | 1st || bgcolor=gold | 1st || bgcolor=gold | 1st || || bgcolor=gold | 1st || || bgcolor=gold | 1st || |- | align=left | Four Nationals || bgcolor=silver | 2nd || bgcolor=silver | 2nd || 11th || bgcolor=gold | 1st || bgcolor=gold | 1st || bgcolor=silver | 2nd || || 5th || || 5th || |- | colspan=12 align=center | <small> TBD = Assigned; WD = Withdrew; C = Event Cancelled</small> |}
=== For the United States === {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" |- ! colspan="2" style="background-color: #ffdead; " align="center" | National |- ! Event ! 10–11 |- | align=left | U.S. Championships || 12th J |}
== References == {{Reflist|30em|refs=
<ref name=ISU-NR>{{cite web |url= http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs_cr_00013894.htm |title= Competition Results: Nicole RAJICOVA |publisher= International Skating Union }}</ref>
<ref name=ISU-1213>{{cite web |url= http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00013894.htm |title= Nicole RAJICOVA: 2012/2013 |publisher= International Skating Union |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20121017122722/http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00013894.htm |archive-date= October 17, 2012 |url-status= unfit }}</ref>
<ref name=ISU-1314>{{cite web |url= http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00013894.htm |title= Nicole RAJICOVA: 2013/2014 |publisher= International Skating Union |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140622091808/http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00013894.htm |archive-date= June 22, 2014 |url-status= unfit }}</ref>
<ref name=ISU-1415>{{cite web |url= http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00013894.htm |title= Nicole RAJICOVA: 2014/2015 |publisher= International Skating Union |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150522032200/http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00013894.htm |archive-date= May 22, 2015 |url-status= unfit }}</ref>
<ref name=ISU-1516a>{{cite web |url= http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00013894.htm |title= Nicole RAJICOVA: 2015/2016 |publisher= International Skating Union |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20151118140040/http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00013894.htm |archive-date= November 18, 2015 |url-status= unfit }}</ref>
<ref name=ISU-1516b>{{cite web |url= http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00013894.htm |title= Nicole RAJICOVA: 2015/2016 |publisher= International Skating Union |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160528111209/http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00013894.htm |archive-date= May 28, 2016 |url-status= unfit }}</ref>
<ref name=ISU-1617>{{cite web |url= http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00013894.htm |title= Nicole RAJICOVA: 2016/2017 |publisher= International Skating Union |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170127184645/http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00013894.htm |archive-date= January 27, 2017 |url-status= unfit }}</ref>
<ref name=ISU-1718>{{cite web |url= http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00013894.htm |title= Nicole RAJICOVA: 2017/2018 |publisher= International Skating Union |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20171025075855/http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00013894.htm |archive-date= October 25, 2017 |url-status= dead }}</ref>
<ref name=ISU-1819>{{cite web |url= http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00013894.htm |title= Nicole RAJICOVA: 2018/2019 |publisher= International Skating Union |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190331220530/http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00013894.htm |archive-date= March 31, 2019 |url-status= dead }}</ref>
<ref name=ISU-2122>{{cite web |url= http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00013894.htm |title= Nicole RAJICOVA: 2021/2022 |publisher= International Skating Union |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210926095516/http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00013894.htm |archive-date= September 26, 2021 |url-status= dead }}</ref>
<ref name=sochi-NR>{{cite web |url= http://www.sochi2014.com/en/athlete-nicole-rajicova |title= Nicole RAJICOVA |website= Sochi2014.com |publisher= Organizing Committee of the XXII Olympic Winter Games and XI Paralympic Winter Games of 2014 in Sochi |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140320075716/http://www.sochi2014.com/en/athlete-nicole-rajicova |archive-date= March 20, 2014 |url-status= dead }}</ref>
<ref name=USNat2011>{{cite news |url= http://www.usfigureskating.org/leaderboard/results/2011/68096/CAT005SEG010.html |title= 2011 U.S. Championships: Junior Ladies |publisher= U.S. Figure Skating |date= January 26, 2011 |archive-date= January 30, 2018 |access-date= January 15, 2014 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180130124023/http://www.usfigureskating.org/leaderboard/results/2011/68096/CAT005SEG010.html |url-status= dead }}</ref>
<ref name=3nats1213>{{cite web |url= http://www.pfsa.com.pl/results/2012/3NAT2013/index.htm |title= Three National Championships 2013 |publisher= Polish Figure Skating Association |date= December 2012 }}</ref>
<ref name=Cas130301>{{cite news |url= http://www.cas.sk/clanok/244559/krasokorculiarska-nadej-nicole-rajicova-newyorcanka-vo-farbach-slovenska.html |title= Krasokorčuliarska nádej Nicole Rajičová: Newyorčanka vo farbách Slovenska |language= Slovak |trans-title=Figure skating talent Nicole Rajičová: New Yorker represents Slovakia |work= Čas.sk |date= March 1, 2013 }}</ref>
<ref name=Osporte140222>{{cite web |url= http://www.osporte.sk/?id_cat=1117&news=192167 |title= Krasokorčuliarka Rajičová: Olympiáda je môj najväčší úspech |language= Slovak |trans-title= Figure skater Rajičová: Competing at the Olympics is my greatest achievement |publisher= osporte.sk |date= February 22, 2014 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150216173402/http://www.osporte.sk/?id_cat=1117&news=192167 |archive-date= February 16, 2015 |url-status= dead }}</ref>
<ref name=TASR141003>{{cite news |url= http://www.teraz.sk/sport/krasokorculiarka-rajicova-nicole/100559-clanok.html |title= Rajičovej otec: Pri začiatkoch netreba deti do ničoho tlačiť |language= Slovak |trans-title=Interview with Rajičová's father |work= News Agency of the Slovak Republic |publisher= teraz.sk |date= October 3, 2014 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150216172227/http://www.teraz.sk/sport/krasokorculiarka-rajicova-nicole/100559-clanok.html |archive-date=February 16, 2015 |url-status= live }}</ref>
<ref name=GS190123>{{cite news |url= https://goldenskate.com/2019/01/alina-zagitova-i-need-to-be-confident-in-myself/ |title= Alina Zagitova: 'I need to be confident in myself' |first= Paula |last= Slater |work= Golden Skate |date= January 23, 2019 }}</ref>
<ref name=GS190125>{{cite news |url= https://goldenskate.com/2019/01/samodurova-shines-wins-european-ladies-title/ |title= Samodurova shines; wins European ladies' title |first= Paula |last= Slater |work= Golden Skate |date= January 25, 2019 }}</ref>
}}
== External links == {{Commons category-inline}} * {{ISU figure skater}} * {{Olympics.com}} * {{Olympedia}} * {{SOSV profile}}
{{NavigationSlovakFigureSkatingChampionsWomen}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rajicova, Nicole}} Category:1995 births Category:Living people Category:People from Garden City, New York Category:Sportspeople from Hempstead, New York Category:Slovak female single skaters Category:American female single skaters Category:American people of Slovak descent Category:Figure skaters at the 2014 Winter Olympics Category:Figure skaters at the 2018 Winter Olympics Category:Olympic figure skaters for Slovakia Category:21st-century American sportswomen Category:Slovak expatriate sportspeople in the United States