DALLAS -- Sasha Cohen had what it takes to be the world's best figure skater: powerful jumps, a ballerina's grace and a presence so captivating that it makes other skaters fade into the background.

She had everything, that is, except the ability to finish the job.

For all of her considerable talent and drive, something always seemed to trip up Cohen. A fall here, a botched jump there, and medals and titles that could have been hers were gone.

Take the Salt Lake City Olympics. In third place after a dazzling short program, Cohen had a medal in her grasp. But she two-footed one jump and fell on another in the free skate, dropping to fourth place.

"I wasn't really able to pull it out when it counted,'' she said.

Fast-forward 11 months, and Cohen is suddenly one of the best closers in the sport. Olympic gold medalist Sarah Hughes and Michelle Kwan might be the main attractions at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, but Cohen is the one arriving on a hot streak. She's won three of her last four competitions, and finished second at the other.

"Every competition that I've done has given me a better feeling. I've become more sure of my skating,'' she said. "I feel I'm a stronger competitor than I was last year. I've found a new type of strength to put it together when it counts.''

And all it took was a trip across the country.

A Southern California native, Cohen spent almost her entire career with coach John Nicks. But after working with Tatiana Tarasova in Connecticut for two days last summer, the 19-year-old Cohen knew she needed a change.

She could get better ice time at Tarasova's facility, and she liked the discipline and focus of the Russian style of training. Most important, she discovered something in Tarasova she hadn't found anywhere else.

"Tatiana is really determined. She's one of the first people that's expected more out of me than I expected of myself,'' Cohen said.

Tarasova already has an impressive track record. One of the world's top ice dance coaches, she also was behind Olympic gold medalist Alexei Yagudin's transformation. Working with Tarasova, he went from jumping bean to artist -- one of the best the sport ever has seen.

And it wasn't long before her influence was showing in Cohen. She won her first major competition of the season, Skate Canada. Two weeks later, she captured the title at Trophee Lalique.

She finished second at Cup of Russia, but rebounded to win the International Figure Skating Challenge, a star-studded field that included Hughes and world champion Irina Slutskaya.

"I never feel it's now or never. I always feel, 'Now! Now! Now!''' Cohen said. "But I definitely felt this was going to be a year of opportunities and it was going to be up to me to take them.

"I felt like I've done a pretty good job in training,'' she added. "I think I can keep raising the bar.''

Nationals will give Cohen a good idea of just where the bar sits. Unlike most post-Olympic years, everyone who's anyone is here. Hughes would like nothing more than to add a national title to that shiny gold medal she picked up in Salt Lake City.

Kwan arrives relaxed and recharged after taking most of the fall off. She only competed in one event, Skate America, but she won it handily.

And don't forget that Kwan owns nationals. She's won six U.S. titles, including the last five.

"Of course it would be easier if everyone retired and it was just me,'' Cohen said, laughing. "But in a way, I am glad they stayed. With all these great skaters, they're going to push me and motivate me to work harder.

"Because of them, I'm going to be a better skater.''

Besides, what better place to prove she's learned how to pull it off when it matters most?

"A title is still a title no matter who is there. But it will be a lot harder to get and will mean a lot more,'' she said. "I'm physically prepared for it. It's just going to take a lot of mental strength and competitiveness and that fire to make it happen.''