Former Olympian Sasha Cohen pulls back curtain on the harsh realities of figure skating 20 years after medaling

Retired Team USA figure skater Sasha Cohen has opened up about her experience competing in the Winter Olympics after watching Alysa Liu and Amber Glenn at the 2026 Olympics.

Cohen, whose real name is Alexandra Pauline Cohen, earned a silver medal in the individual women’s figure skating event at the Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, in 2006. She returned to the Olympics as a spectator this year, cheering on Liu, Glenn, and Isabeau Levito as they looked to end a 20-year drought for Team USA women in the individual figure skating competition.

In both a recent essay for USA Today and an Instagram post — published right before Liu went on to win Olympic gold — the retired skater reflected on the intensity she experienced as a young competitor in the demanding sport.

“Twenty years ago, I was on the Olympic podium in Turin, Italy. Now, I’m back as a spectator, watching the figure skating events with both nostalgia and relief as I relive the highs and lows of my Olympic experience,” Cohen’s lengthy Instagram caption began, showing off a photo of her receiving her silver medal.

“I was keenly reminded of my own choice to pursue the Olympic dream at the expense of all else. It stirred reflections on my skating career and all that has transpired since. Knowing what it took, I would still do it again in a heartbeat. At the same time, it’s hard to imagine my kids following in my footsteps - not only because of what I missed out on, but the weight of the hopes and expectations I carried.”

Cohen continued, explaining that she first fell in love with ice skating when she was seven years old and recalled her early days of training, including injuries like slicing her calf open and fracturing her lower back.

“The time away from the ice only strengthened my resolve and commitment to qualify for the 2002 Olympic Games in Salt Lake City. I made the games, but missed the podium and ended up a disappointing 4th place, determined to come back in 2006 and redeem myself,” the post’s caption continued.

Although she ramped up her training by moving across the country to work with a coach known for producing Olympians and winning most of her competitions, she admitted that 2004 was a difficult year for her mentally.

“Two years in and still a long two years out; stress mounted and joy faded. 2004 was a particularly brutal year; I withdrew from a season of competitions, crippled by mental health struggles and tortured by long, anxiety ridden nights, precipitated by the growing fear that my best days were behind me,” she wrote.

After medaling in 2006, Cohen had planned to return for the 2010 Winter Olympics, but was selected as a second alternate for Team USA before retiring from skating that same year.

Her post has sparked other skaters to chime in on the expectations placed on Olympians, including former Olympic ice dancer Alexa Knierim. “I want my kids to know that accomplishing things takes work,” she wrote.

“I want them to know the priceless triumph of overcoming their fears because they chose to show up, despite the nerves and doubt. But when success is defined by perfection in one particular moment, that’s a tough way to live and it’s not for everyone. It’s a deeply personal and consequential choice. And yet, I would never want them to miss pursuing their dreams because the cost of admission is too high.”