What if .... 2002 Olympic Ladies Competition

[Foolhardy Ham Lint]

Sasha wasn’t exactly an unknown skater. She had competed on the Senior level prior to the Olympics, and there was a ton of hype. I remember an interview where she told reporters she wanted to pull a Tara, or something like that. She had more hype than Sarah Hughes at these Olympics and a bigger attitude to go along with it.

I’ve always maintained that had Kwan skated clean, she would’ve won. Even skating clean and “free” as Sarah did, I would’ve put a clean Kwan in 1st, even if it was an uninspired skate.

It's funny you should highlight Sasha's attitude. Her mindset and interviews were certainly the opposite from say a Kristi Yamaguchi, who was simply happy to make the team.

I think at times, that Cohen wanted it too much, making the pressure more intense than it needed to be.