Sarah Hughes facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Sarah Hughes |
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Hughes at the 2012 Stars on Ice
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| Personal information | |
| Full name | Sarah Elizabeth Hughes |
| Country represented | United States |
| Born | May 2, 1985 Great Neck, New York, U.S. |
| Height | 1.65 m |
| Former coach | Robin Wagner |
| Skating club | Skating Club of New York |
| Retired | 2003 |
Sarah Elizabeth Hughes, born on May 2, 1985, is a famous American former figure skater. She won the gold medal at the 2002 Winter Olympics. She also earned a bronze medal at the 2001 World Championships in ladies' singles.
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About Sarah Hughes' Life
Hughes was born in Great Neck, New York. This is a town on Long Island. Her dad, John Hughes, was from Canada and had Irish family. He was a captain of the Cornell University ice hockey team that won a championship in 1969–70.
Her mom, Amy Pastarnack, is Jewish. She survived breast cancer. Because of this, Sarah became a strong supporter of breast cancer awareness. She even appeared in a commercial for General Electric. She wanted to help people learn about breast cancer and research. Sarah said, "If I can get one person to get a mammogram, I've accomplished something."
Sarah also supports Figure Skating in Harlem. This program gives free ice skating lessons and school help to girls in Harlem, New York City. Sarah has supported this program for over ten years.
Education and Family Life
Sarah went to Great Neck North High School. In 2003, she started studying at Yale University. She graduated from Yale on May 25, 2009. She earned a degree in American studies, focusing on U.S. politics. Later, she graduated from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 2018. As of May 2023, she was studying business at Stanford University.
Sarah is the fourth of six children. Her younger sister, Emily, is also a figure skater. Emily competed in the 2006 Winter Olympics.
Sarah Hughes' Skating Journey
Sarah Hughes started ice skating when she was just three years old. Robin Wagner became her main coach in January 1998. Robin also helped create Sarah's skating routines since 1994.
Early Successes
In the 1997–1998 season, Sarah won the junior title at the 1998 U.S. Championships. The next season, she competed in the ISU Junior Grand Prix. She won a silver medal at the 1998–1999 Junior Grand Prix Final. She also earned a silver medal at the 1999 World Junior Championships.
At the 1999 U.S. Championships, Sarah finished fourth in her first senior-level competition. Normally, only the top three skaters go to the World Championships. However, the second-place skater was too young. Sarah was also too young, but there was a special rule for skaters who had won medals at Junior Worlds. So, Sarah went to the 1999 World Championships and placed 7th.
Moving Up in the Skating World
In the 1999–2000 season, Sarah started competing in the Grand Prix series. She won a bronze medal at the 1999 Trophée Lalique. She also won a bronze medal at the 2000 U.S. Championships. She finished 5th at the 2000 World Championships.
In the 2000–2001 season, Sarah won three medals in the Grand Prix series. She earned a bronze medal at the 2000–2001 Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final. She then won a silver medal at the 2001 U.S. Championships. At the 2001 World Championships, she won a bronze medal.
In the 2001–2002 season, Sarah won the 2001 Skate Canada International. She also placed second at two other events. She won her second bronze medal in a row at the Grand Prix Final. Then, she won a bronze medal at the 2002 U.S. Championships. This helped her qualify for the 2002 Winter Olympics.
The week before the 2002 Olympics began, Sarah Hughes was on the cover of Time magazine.
Olympic Gold Medal Win
At the 2002 Olympics, Sarah Hughes won the gold medal. Many people thought this was one of the biggest surprises in figure skating history. She was the youngest skater there. Most people did not expect her to beat the top favorites, like her teammate Michelle Kwan and Russia's Irina Slutskaya.
Sarah became the first woman in Olympic history to land two triple jump-triple jump combinations in her free skate. The other top skaters made big mistakes in their free skate. This opened the door for Sarah to win gold. Even though her Lutz jump had a small flaw, her difficult and successful jump combinations made up for it. Her artistic style, good edge quality, and how she used the whole ice rink showed she was a "strong all-around skater." This helped her win the gold medal.
After winning the Olympics, Sarah was honored with a parade in her hometown of Great Neck. Important people like U.S. Senators Hillary Clinton and Chuck Schumer, and New York Governor George Pataki attended. Hillary Clinton spoke and declared it Sarah Hughes Day. Sarah also received the James E. Sullivan Award. This award goes to the best amateur athlete in the U.S. She was the third figure skater to win it.
Sarah did not compete at the 2002 World Championships. In the 2002–2003 season, she won a silver medal at the 2003 U.S. Championships. She then placed sixth at the 2003 World Championships.
Sarah took a year off from college in 2004–2005. She skated professionally with the Stars on Ice tour. In 2005, she was added to the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.
A book about her, Sudden Champion: The Sarah Hughes Story, was written by Richard Krawiec in 2002.
Skating Style and Moves
Sarah Hughes used many different triple-triple jump combinations. These included a triple loop-triple loop, a triple salchow-triple loop, and a triple toe-triple loop. She also often did a triple loop jump after a back spiral. She was known for her camel spin with a change of edge. She was also known for her spiral position. Unlike most skaters, she did her jumps and spins in a clockwise direction.
Sarah Hughes and Politics
On May 15, 2023, Sarah Hughes started the process to run for Congress. She planned to run as a Democrat in New York's 4th congressional district. However, she decided to withdraw from the race on September 9.
