Clara Hughes facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Clara Hughes

Hughes at the induction ceremony of Canada's Walk of Fame in 2010
Personal information
Birth name	Clara Hughes
Nationality	Canadian
Born	(1972-09-27) September 27, 1972 (age 52) Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Height	176 cm
Weight	69 kg
Spouse(s)	Peter Guzman
Sport
Country	Canada
Sport	Speed skating
Retired	February 24, 2010 (speed skating)
Medal record Representing  Canada Women's road cycling Olympic Games Bronze 1996 Atlanta Road race Bronze 1996 Atlanta Time Trial World Championships Silver 1995 Tunja Time Trial Commonwealth Games Gold 2002 Manchester Time Trial Pan American Games Silver 1995 Mar del Plata Road Race Silver 2003 Santo Domingo Time Trial Bronze 1995 Mar del Plata Time Trial Pan American Championships Gold 2011 Medellín Road race Gold 2011 Medellín Time Trial Women's track cycling Commonwealth Games Bronze 2002 Manchester Points Race Pan American Games Gold 2003 Santo Domingo Points Race Silver Havana 1991 Individual Pursuit Women's speed skating Olympic Games Gold 2006 Turin 5000 m Silver 2006 Turin Team pursuit Bronze 2002 Salt Lake City 5000 m Bronze 2010 Vancouver 5000 m World Single Distance Championships Gold 2004 Seoul 5000 m Silver 2003 Berlin 5000 m Silver 2008 Nagano 5000 m Silver 2009 Vancouver 5000 m Silver 2005 Inzell Team pursuit Bronze 2005 Inzell 5000 m

Clara Hughes (born September 27, 1972) is a famous Canadian athlete. She is amazing because she has won many Olympic medals in two different sports: cycling and speed skating!

Clara won two bronze medals in the 1996 Summer Olympics. She also won four medals (one gold, one silver, two bronze) across three Winter Olympics. This makes her one of the few athletes ever to win medals in both Summer and Winter Olympic Games. In fact, she is the only person to win multiple medals in both! She was also the first Canadian woman to win an Olympic medal in road cycling.

Beyond sports, Clara is known for her kindness and helping others. She is part of Right To Play, an organization that uses sports to help young people in tough areas. After winning her gold medal in 2006, she gave $10,000 to this group. For all her achievements, she was honored with the Order of Manitoba and became an Officer of the Order of Canada.

Clara has received many awards throughout her career. She was named Female Athlete of the Year for speed skating in 2004. In 2006, she got the International Olympic Committee's Sport and Community Trophy. She also has a star on the Canadian Walk of Fame and is in Canada's Sports Hall of Fame.

Clara Hughes's Amazing Sports Journey

Clara Hughes was born in Winnipeg, Canada. She went to Elmwood High School. She was inspired to try speed skating after watching Gaétan Boucher at the 1988 Winter Olympics. She started speed skating at 16, then switched to competitive cycling at 17.

After finding success in cycling, she returned to speed skating at age 28. Her cycling training helped her build amazing endurance. This was perfect for the long-distance speed skating events, like the 3,000 m and 5,000 m. She won many medals in these events at the Winter Olympics. Later, at age 38, she even returned to cycling for the 2012 London Olympics!

Cycling Achievements

Clara Hughes during the 2011 Tour of the Gila cycling race.

Clara Hughes is an 18-time Canadian national cycling champion. She won a silver medal at the 1995 World Cycling Championships in the time trial event.

She competed in the Pan American Games four times (1991, 1995, 1999, 2003). There, she won eight medals! She also took part in the Commonwealth Games in 1990, 1994, and 2002. At the 2002 games, she won a gold medal in the road cycling time trial. She also earned a bronze in the points race on the velodrome (a special track for cycling).

Clara competed in the 1996 Summer Olympics and 2000 Summer Olympics. At the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, she won two bronze medals. These were for the individual road race and the individual time trial. These were very important for Canada. They were the second and third ever medals in road cycling for Canada. They were also the first for a Canadian woman!

Clara has also raced in the women's Tour de France four times. She won the 1994 Women's Challenge and the 1995 Liberty Classic. She even worked as a commentator for cycling events for the CBC during the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.

In 2010, Clara announced she would return to cycling to try for the 2012 Summer Olympics. She won two gold medals at the 2011 Pan American Championships. She also won the Tour of the Gila in May 2011. She was chosen for Canada's 2012 London Olympics team. She finished 5th in the road time trial at those Olympics.

Speed Skating Success

Clara Hughes speed skating in 2007.

In the 2000-2001 season, Clara made a great return to speed skating. She competed in the World Single Distance Championships in Salt Lake City.

The next season, she qualified for the 2002 Winter Olympics. She won a bronze medal in the 5000 m race. This made her only the second speed skater to win medals in both Summer and Winter Games. She was also the fourth person and second woman overall to do this.

Clara Hughes led the Canadian team into BC Place during the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Olympics.

At the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, Clara won her first gold medal in the 5000 m. She also won a silver medal with the Canadian team in the team pursuit. This brought her total Olympic medals to five. This tied the Canadian record at the time.

Clara was inspired by another athlete, Joey Cheek, who donated his gold medal bonus. So, after her 2006 gold medal win, Clara donated $10,000 of her own money to Right to Play.

She also held a world record in the 10,000 m race in 2007. Her time was 14:19.73. This is still the Canadian record today!

In 2010, Clara was chosen to be the Canadian Flag Bearer for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. At these games, she won a bronze medal in the 5,000 metres. This was her last Olympic speed skating race. This medal brought her career total to six, tying her with Cindy Klassen for the most medals won by a Canadian athlete.

Clara's Personal Life and Advocacy

Clara Hughes is the National Spokesperson for Bell Canada's 'Let's Talk Mental Health' program. This includes 'Bell Let's Talk Day'. Clara bravely shares her own experiences with depression. She does this to help others and to fight the negative ideas people sometimes have about mental health issues.

Since 2013, Clara has led yearly bike rides across Canada. These rides help raise awareness about mental health. In 2015, a TV show called Clara's Big Ride was made about her journey. Her book, Open Heart, Open Mind, was published in 2015.

Clara's Personal Best Records

Clara has set some amazing personal best times in speed skating:

Honours and Awards

Clara Hughes has received many special awards and recognitions:

• In 2006, she was given the Order of Manitoba.
• In 2007, she became a Member of the Order of Canada.
• In 2008, she received an Honorary Doctorate of Law from the University 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.
• On April 7, 2010, she was made an Officer of the Order of Canada.
• On June 8, 2010, it was announced she would get a star on Canada's Walk of Fame.
• On November 15, 2010, Clara was inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame.
• In 2011, she was named one of the Most Influential Women in Sport and Physical Activity by CAAWS for the third time.
• On April 27, 2013, a steep training hill in Dundas, Ontario, was officially renamed 'Clara's Climb' in her honour.
• In 2014, she received the Loyola Medal from Concordia University.
• On June 30, 2014, she was honored with the Meritorious Service Cross (Civil Division).
• In September 2014, a school in Oshawa, Ontario, was named the Clara Hughes Public School.
• On June 14, 2016, she received another Honorary Doctorate of Law from the University of Victoria.

Images for kids

• 

  Clara Hughes at the induction ceremony of Canada's Walk of Fame in 2010

In Spanish: Clara Hughes para niños