Sasha COHEN

Sasha Cohen started out as a child practicing gymnastics, but began figure skating when she was seven. Cohen burst on the US figure skating in 2000 when she placed second at the US Championships. She was not eligible for the World Championships that year, and in 2001 she was out most of the season with a vertebral stress fracture. In 2002 she again placed second at the US Nationals, and was fourth at the Olympics. Over the next two years, Cohen was likely the best skater in the world, winning at Skate Canada, Trophée Eric Bompard, and the Grand Prix Final in 2003, and in 2004, she won Skate Canada again, Skate America, and defended at the Trophée Eric Bompard. But she had difficulty putting together a short and long program in major internationals, and finished fourth at the Worlds in 2003 and second in 2004. In 2006, Cohen finally broke thru to win her first national title and she was considered a possible gold medalist at the Torino Olympics. She had a narrow lead after the Olympic short program, but fell to second and a silver medal. Cohen has skated in some ice shows since the 2006 Olympics, and done some television work, but has not skated competitively since.