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Clara Hughes

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Clara Hughes
Clara Hughes at the 2000 Tour of Willamette
Personal information
Height1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Weight71 kg (157 lb; 11.2 st)
Websitewww.clara-hughes.com
Sport
Country Canada
SportRoad bicycle racing
Track cycling
Speed skating
RetiredFebruary 24, 2010 (speed skating)
Medal record
Representing  Canada
Road bicycle racing
Olympic Games
Bronze medal – third place 1996 Atlanta Road race
Bronze medal – third place 1996 Atlanta Time Trial
World Championships
Silver medal – second place 1995 Tunja Time Trial
Commonwealth Games
Gold medal – first place 2002 Manchester Time Trial
Pan American Games
Gold medal – first place 2003 S Domingo Points Race
Silver medal – second place 1995 Mar del Plata Road Race
Silver medal – second place 2003 S Domingo Time Trial
Bronze medal – third place 1995 Mar del Plata Time Trial
Track cycling
Commonwealth Games
Bronze medal – third place 2002 Manchester 24km Points Race
Pan American Games
Silver medal – second place Havana 1991 Individual Pursuit
Speed skating
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2006 Turin 5000 m
Silver medal – second place 2006 Turin Team pursuit
Bronze medal – third place 2002 Salt Lake City 5000 m
Bronze medal – third place 2010 Vancouver 5000 m
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2004 Seoul 5000 m
Silver medal – second place 2003 Berlin 5000 m
Silver medal – second place 2008 Nagano 5000 m
Silver medal – second place 2009 Vancouver 5000 m
Silver medal – second place 2005 Inzell Team pursuit
Bronze medal – third place 2005 Inzell 5000 m

Clara Hughes, OC, OM (born September 27, 1972) is a Canadian cyclist and speed skater, and has won multiple Olympic medals in both sports. Hughes is one of only five people who have won medals in both the Summer and Winter Games,[1] and is the only person ever to have won multiple medals in both.[2]

Hughes is involved with Right To Play, an athlete-driven international humanitarian organization that uses sports to encourage the development of youth in disadvantaged areas.[3]

Career

Hughes was born in Winnipeg, and is a graduate of Elmwood High School. She started with speed skating, but in 1990 she moved to competitive cycling, competing in track cycling and road cycling.

Cycling

Hughes, an 18-time Canadian national cycling champion, won the silver medal at the 1995 World Cycling Championships (Time Trial).

She participated at the 1991, 1995, 1999, and 2003 Pan American Games and won eight Pan American Games medals, Also competing in the 1990, 1994, and 2002 Commonwealth Games, Hughes won gold in the time trial and bronze in the points race on the velodrome.

Hughes participated in the 1996 and 2000 Summer Olympics, winning two bronze medals at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, in the individual road race and the individual time trial.

A four-time participant of the women's Tour de France, Hughes has won the 1994 Women's Challenge and the 1997 Liberty Classic.

Hughes served as a commentator for cycling events for the CBC's coverage of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.[4]

Long track speed skating

Hughes skating in 2007

In the 2000/2001 season, Hughes made a successful comeback to speed skating, participating in the World Single Distance Championships in Salt Lake City, where she finished 11th in the 3000 m.

The following season, she qualified for the 2002 Winter Olympics. After placing 10th in the 3000 m, she won the bronze medal in the 5000 m, just ahead of compatriot Cindy Klassen. With this, she became the second speed skater to win medals in the Summer and Winter Games — Christa Luding-Rothenburger won a gold in the 1000 m speed skating and silver in the 1000 m cycling sprint in 1988. She became the fourth person and second woman to win medals at the Summer and Winter Games. In 2006, she was the only Olympian to have won multiple medals at the Summer Games as well as at the Winter Games.[5]

Led by Clara Hughes, the Canadian team enters BC Place during the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Olympics.

In 2006, although she had not been asked, she announced she would not carry the Canadian flag during the Opening Ceremonies of the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. At those Olympics, she won her first gold medal in the 5000 m and a silver medal in the team pursuit as part of the Canadian team. She earned her fifth Olympic medal at the 2006 Games, tying the total all-time Canadian medal count record, also held by Marc Gagnon and Phillip Edwards. Klassen set a new record in the same games, winning five medals in Turin, for a total of six.

Inspired by Joey Cheek, who donated his gold medal bonus to Right to Play, Hughes donated $10,000 of her own money to Right to Play. after her 2006 gold medal win in the 5000 m.[6] (Canada did not give out medal bonuses at the time).

Hughes was also a world record holder on 10,000 m track with 14:19.73 on 12 March 2005 on the Olympic Oval in Calgary, which was beaten by Martina Sáblíková one year later. However, that time is still the Canadian record.

On January 29, 2010, she was announced as the Canadian Flag Bearer for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.[7] During the games she won a bronze medal in the 5,000 metres which was also the final Olympic race of her career. Her time of 6:55.73 became a new track record, though her time was soon beaten by Stephanie Beckert of Germany and gold medalist Martina Sáblíková of the Czech Republic. This brought her career medals total to six, tying teammate Cindy Klassen as the Canadian athlete with the most medals.[8]

Personal bests

Personal records
Women's speed skating
Event Result Date Location Notes
500 m 41.19
1000 m 1:18.75
1500 m 1:57.46
3000 m 3:59.06
5000 m 6:53.53
10000 m 14:19.73 2005 Calgary Current Canadian Record
Former World Record
Women's cycling
Event Result Date Location Notes
  • All information from Speed Skating Canada records page and Clara Hughes's SSC profile[9][10]

Honours

In 2006, she was awarded the Order of Manitoba, and in 2007, she was made an Officer of the Order of Canada.

On May 23, 2008, she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Law from the University of Manitoba.

In 2008 Clara was named an in motion Champion by the Province of Manitoba.

On February 12, 2010, she was the Canadian Olympic Team flag bearer for the Opening Ceremonies of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver.[11]

Sponsors

  • Sponsored by Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP, Bell, COLD-FX, Pure Fruit Technologies, Adidas Eyewear & VISA for the 2008-2009 season.

Notes

References

  1. ^ "Olympic heroes: Double doses of Eddie Eagan". Edmonton Sun. 2010-02-10. Retrieved 2010-02-18.
  2. ^ "Clara Hughes's finest hour". CBC Sports. 2006-02-26. Retrieved 2010-02-18.
  3. ^ "Congratulations to Right To Play Athlete Ambassador Clara Hughes Canada's flag bearer for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games". Right to Play. January 29, 2010. Retrieved 2010-02-24.
  4. ^ CBC Television, Olympic Prime, 20 Aug 2008
  5. ^ "Incredible! Clara Hughes wins another medal". Toronto Sun. 24 February 2010. Retrieved 2010-02-24.
  6. ^ "Canadian Olympian donates $10,000 to charity", Canadian Press Wire, 25 February 2006
  7. ^ Shi Davidi (30 January 2010). "'Someone who is truly remarkable': Clara Hughes named flag-bearer for Vancouver". Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved 2010-02-24.
  8. ^ "Hughes adds another bronze to incredible resume". Slam! Sports. 2010-02-24. Retrieved 2010-02-24.
  9. ^ "Records". Speed Skating Canada. Retrieved 2010-02-26.
  10. ^ "Speed Skating Canada Clara Hughes profile". Speed Skating Canada. Retrieved 2010-03-04.
  11. ^ "Hughes named Canada's Olympic flag-bearer", CBC Sports, 30 January 2010

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Clara Hughes.
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