COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Olympic silver medalist Sasha
Cohen withdrew from next month's U.S. Figure Skating Championships
on Friday, saying she is taking a temporary break from competition.
Cohen plans to skate at the 2009 world championships in Los
Angeles and the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.
"I love the thrill that competition brings, and I'm not ready
to give that up," she said. "These past few years have been
incredibly intense and demanding, so I need a little downtime from
competing. I have competed in two Olympics, and there's nothing as
thrilling as that, so I know I want to be in Vancouver for the 2010
Olympics."
Cohen is the defending national champion, but her withdrawal
hardly comes as a surprise. She skipped the Grand Prix series and
hasn't competed in any major events since last year's world
championships, where she won a bronze medal.
Still, her absence means there will be little star power at
nationals, which are Jan. 21-28 in Spokane, Wash. Michelle Kwan is
off at college, leaving world champion Kimmie Meissner as the
overwhelming favorite in the women's competition.
"We will miss Sasha at the U.S. Championships this year, but we
respect her decision to take a break from competition," said David
Raith, executive director of U.S. Figure Skating.