MAIN Sports Sports Stars Sasha Cohen

The pretty, petite powerhouse on the international figure skating circuit was born Alexandra Pauline "Sasha" Cohen on October 26, 1984 in Westwood, California.

Beginning her sports career at a young age, Sasha trained in gymnastics before turning to figure skating at age 12. Soon she was entering local competitions, and eventually worked her way up to the U.S. Junior National Championships in 1999.

Cohen wowed the judges with her now trademark spirals and layback spins and took home the silver at the U.S. National Championships in 2000 and again in 2002. That same year, she entered her first major international competition at the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics where she placed fourth.

Since then, Sasha has won the Grand Prix Final, earning her first international title, and placed fourth overall at the 2003 World Championships. Her struggle to maintain a consistent level of excellence (despite flashes of spectacularly brilliant spins, jumps and spirals) finally culminated in a solid triumph in January 2006 when she won her first crown as national champion,.

She was also a favorite to watch at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, ultimately winning the silver medal in ladie's figure skating. Although still considered one of the world's most gifted skater, Cohen has yet to win either a world or Olympic title, a record she hopes to change with an appearance at the Vancouver Olympics games in 2010, following a three year hiatus from competition.

Off the ice, Cohen has written an autobiography, "Fire on Ice: Autobiography of a Champion Figure Skater" published in 2005.

More about Sasha Cohen around the Web:

Sasha Cohen - The official site featuring news & updates, performance calendar, vital stats, career highlights, picture gallery, personal info including a profile on sister Natasha, and an online journal.

Sasha Fans - Online community including a busy forum, bio, picture galleries, screen caps & video clips, career record and performance schedule.

U.S. Figure Skating Athtlete Bio - Sasha Cohen - Vital stats, news & updates, competition chronology, facts & figures, awards list.

Team USA - Sasha Cohen - Fact sheet & photo from the U.S. Olympic Committee with interesting facts, career highlights, photo gallery, related stories & interviews.

also see -> Emily Hughes | Michelle Kwan | Johnny Weir

also see -> Ice Skating | Olympics

Olympic Figure Skating