Sasha Cohen

(1984- )

Alexandra Pauline "Sasha" Cohen is an American figure skater. She is the 2006 U.S. National Champion, 2003 Grand Prix Final Champion, and 2006 Olympic silver medalist (Turin). Her mother, Galina Feldman, is a Jewish immigrant from Ukraine and a former ballet dancer; her father, Roger Cohen, is a Jewish American business consultant who used to practice law. Cohen rose to prominence in the skating community during the 2000 United States Figure Skating Championships. Just up from juniors, Cohen was in first place after the short program. She fell to second after the free skating, but qualified for the world team. Cohen competed at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah, finishing 4th. Her best season was 2003–2004, when she took gold at three Grand Prix events and silver at both the U.S. National Championships and the World Championships. Unfortunately, she has had recurring back problems that have kept her from competing in certain events, such as the 2005 Grand Prix.  Cohen intends to compete into the 2010 season and the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. In early 2006, Cohen wore a Kabbalah red string bracelet. She said, “I'm not deeply into Kabbalah, but I appreciate the principles of it, to ward off evil and not think negative thoughts about people.” Recent photos in the autumn of 2006 show that she is no longer wearing one.