Sasha COHEN

Results / Eredmények

J=Junior; N=Novice

International Competition:

ISU World Standings:
28 Jan. 2006: 6. - 3135 point

American Sasha Cohen, who finished second at the 2002 national championships in January behind Michelle Kwan, is appearing in her first Olympic Winter Games. Cohen elected to pass on attempting a quadruple Salchow -- no woman has ever completed a quad jump in competition -- at nationals, and it proved to be beneficial as she finished second to secure one of America's three Olympic ladies' figure skating berths in Salt Lake. Kwan was first at nationals and Sarah Hughes was third, and all three skaters performed exceptionally well in what was one of the deepest and well-contested ladies' competitions in U.S. national championship history. Cohen also finished second to Kwan at the 2000 nationals in Cleveland. She did not compete for a majority of the 2000-2001 season because of a fractured vertebrae in the lower right part of her back. She returned to competition at the 2001 Goodwill Games in Brisbane, Australia, where she finished fourth.

The quad

Cohen announced in October 2001 that she was working on a quadruple Salchow. She attempted the jump for the first time at the Skate America Grand Prix event in Colorado Springs in October, but she came out of it after just one rotation. Cohen landed two quads, albeit wobbly, just seconds before in her warmup, but she could not do it in her long program. "I can do the quad," insists Cohen, who practices it with a harness during workouts.

Marking her arrival

After finishing sixth at 2000 World Junior Championships, Sasha Cohen finished second to Michelle Kwan at the 2000 U.S. nationals in Cleveland. She led after the short program but was edged by the current four-time world champion in the long program. Cohen did not compete for a majority of the 2000-2001 season because of a fractured vertebra in the lower right part of her back. She didn't require surgery, but underwent extensive physical therapy to regain her flexibility. She returned to competition at the 2001 Goodwill Games in Brisbane, Australia, where she finished fourth.

Starting out

At age 5, Cohen began gymnastics. She began skating at age 7 when she and a friend from gymnastics class tried it together. Cohen loved it immediately and eventually her mother asked her to choose between the two sports. She happily picked figure skating. She is coached by John Nicks, a sardonic Englishman whose personality at once complements and clashes with his teenage skater. Despite their occasional disagreements, Cohen respectfully refers to her coach as Mr. Nicks, and Nicks says that despite the back-and-forth, they have an excellent relationship.

Ukrainian connection

Cohen's proper name is Alexandra, but Sasha is a Ukrainian nickname - and it has stuck. Cohen's mother, Galina, is a native of Odessa, Ukraine. Galina and Sasha's grandparents emigrated to the United States in the 1970s when Galina was 16. Galina's father, who once performed in a children's gymnastics troupe for Soviet dictator Josef Stalin, was a theoretical engineer who later became a naval engineer in the U.S. Galina now is involved with her daughter's skating, helping to pick out and edit music.

Pictures / Képek

Private pictures