Sasha Cohen‘s idea of retirement has been Ivy League school tag rugby, snap button socks and a Japanese game show.
Those are just a few of her highlights since her last figure skating competition four years ago. Cohen, who was fourth at the 2002 Olympics and won silver in 2006, has been a student at Columbia University in New York since 2011.
She’s 29 now and enjoying what she called the next phase of her life.
OlympicTalk recently caught up with Cohen to look back on her career and discuss her new endeavors.
OlympicTalk: Which skaters did you like to watch or compete against the most?
Cohen: I grew up skating with Yevgeny Plushenko and Aleksey Yagudin. I thought they had this amazing rivalry. I kind of came into the sport in that era of Nancy [Kerrigan] and Tonya [Harding] and this like golden era of skating, so it was very exciting.
I would say Michelle [Kwan] probably was the icon of that time that I skated with.
OlympicTalk: Which Olympic experience was cooler — 2002 or 2006?
Cohen: 2002, because it was new and in the U.S. I was younger. It was kind of all magical.
OlympicTalk: Where is your Olympic medal?
Cohen: My mom has it. It’s in my living room in California.
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OlympicTalk: What did you think of the skating in Sochi?
Cohen: It was phenomenal. It’s amazing to see every four years how much the sport progresses. I kind of fall by the wayside in between [Olympics], so to get to see it, I really loved it.
OlympicTalk: What are you doing now?
Cohen: I’m a junior at Columbia University, an international relations major. I’m minoring in business. I’m working at Morgan Stanley over the summer, just transitioning to a New York life. I’m also working with Robin Hood, a charity event as well as Figure Skating in Harlem. I’m enjoying New York and the next phase of my life.
OlympicTalk: You were on a Japanese game show recently?
Cohen: That was last summer. We had to like balance on these little columns that would be moving.
OlympicTalk: And if you fell?
Cohen: Just onto the floor. It didn’t hurt or anything. If you lose your balance, you get eliminated.
