BIRTHDATE: September 27, 1972
BIRTHPLACE: Winnipeg, Manitoba
RESIDENCE: Glen Sutton, Quebec
The Olympic dream of Clara Hughes began in 1988 when she caught her first glimpse of the Winter Games on Television. Watching speed skaters glide around the oval inspired her to believe that one day she, too, could represent Canada in that same sport. Little did she imagine that in pursuing her speed skating dream, she would first compete in two Summer Olympic Games, in the sport of cycling.
With over one hundred victories under her belt, including two bronze medals in the 1996 Olympic Summer Games, medals in both the Pan American and Commonwealth Games, plus numerous World Cycling and National Championship titles, Clara had established herself as one of the best cyclists in the world. It was now time to refocus and pursue her Speed Skating Dream.
The 2000/01 season on ice, her first in ten years, was full of unprecedented achievements: Clara earned a spot on the National Team after only seven weeks of specific training, and then shocked the sporting world during the 2002 Olympic Games when, only sixteen months after competing in her second Summer Olympics as a cyclist, she won a bronze medal in the grueling 5000m speed skating event. This, along with her two medals from the 1996 Summer Olympics in cycling, made Clara the only Canadian and fourth ever athlete in history to win medals in both Winter and Summer Games.
Clara became one of the top long-distance skaters in the world leading into the Winter Olympic Games in Torino, Italy in 2006. With World Cup victories, a World Championships title and a World Record in the epic 10,000m event, Clara was a definite favorite for the 5000m race.
She did not disappoint, winning gold in a gripping race that saw her take the lead with only 200m to go. Along with her silver medal in the Team Pursuit in those same Games, Clara became the only athlete in history to win multiple medals in Winter and Summer Olympics.
Most recently, Clara was named flag-bearer for the 2010 Olympic Team and proudly led the Canadian athletes into BC Place to kick off her first ‘home Games’ and last Winter Olympic Games as a speed skater.
Clara went on to show, one again, that she is one of the best athletes when it comes to performing under pressure. At the age of 37, Clara thrilled the home crowd of 7000+ at the Richmond Olympic Oval to a bronze medal in her favorite and most grueling distance, the 5000m.
In honor of her $10,000.00 personal donation to ‘Right to Play’ after winning gold in Torino four years earlier, *Clara made a donation to the local Vancouver charity ‘Take a Hike’ with her $10,000.00 bronze medal bonus*in 2010
Clara is an Officer of the Order of Canada, a member of the Order of Manitoba, has received an Honorary Doctorate of Law from the University of Manitoba, an Honorary Doctorate of Law from The University of British Columbia, an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from the University of New Brunswick, received The International Olympic Committee’s ‘Sport and Community’ award and is a two-time recipient of the ‘Spirit of Sport’ award from the Canadian Sports Awards. Most recently, she has received a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame.
For twenty years, Clara has followed her bliss through the world of sport. She has enjoyed a multitude of success, but considers her work outside of the realm of sport to shine far brighter than any and all of her athletic achievements.
This journey continues as Clara decided to return to the sport of cycling in September of 2010. Her goal is to pursue another Olympic dream on two wheels. She is fully committed to working towards an Olympic berth in the road cycling events in London, 2012. If her early success on the bike after returning to true endurance training is any indication, Clara is indeed on track for another opportunity to show what is possible no matter the question of age, time out of sport or approach to competition.
With this in mind, Clara balances her time between training bases in the mountains of Quebec and the high altitude peaks of Utah to prepare for what she considers to be the race of her life on the bike in London 2012.
Clara balances her energies between the life of an athlete and the things that mean the most to her: working with Right to Play, Take a Hike, and most recently, Bell Canada’s hugely successful “Let’s Talk” campaign that raises awareness for the complex issues involved with mental illness. Clara is a proud spokesperson for Let’s Talk and speaks openly about her own struggles with depression as a young athlete with a strong desire to help break down the stigma attached to all kinds of mental illnesses in Canada and around the world.
