Sasha Cohen

I think it's probably different for each athlete.

Personally, I can speak to my experience, and my Olympic Games in Torino did not go as I hoped it to.

I ended up with a silver medal.

I made two mistakes.

I was injured going in and not able to prepare.

And I just lived in this pressure cooker.

I didn't go to the opening or closing ceremonies.

I stayed in an apartment away from the village to try to focus.

And I just knew everything that I had been training for was going to boil down to these few minutes.

And

How was I going to do it when I wasn't prepared?

And 20 years later, I am so grateful for that silver medal, for that experience, and for skating a really strong program after my mistakes.

But I couldn't watch for a while.

Every time I saw the Olympic rings or heard that music and saw other skaters warming up backstage or about to take the ice, I would relive my own programs and disappointments and

And, you know, if somebody fell, it would remind me of my own mistakes.

If someone skated perfectly, I would say like, that was a program I wish I could have done.

And it was just, it was a lot.

And so I think I needed space to develop as a person and have other outside interests.

And you wait long enough.

And then, you know, I realized that, hey, no matter what I do, skating is always such an integral part of who I am.