Clara Hughes

Clara Hughes, OC, OM ( born September 27, 1972 in Winnipeg, Manitoba ) is a former Canadian cyclist and speed skater. With inter alia, Radbronze 1996 and speed skating gold in 2006 it is one of only five athletes who could win a medal in both winter and summer Olympic Games, the others are Jacob Tullin Thams, Gillis Grafström, Edward Eagan and Christa Luding - Rothenburg.

As a cyclist Clara Hughes took in the years 1991, 1995 and 1999 at the Pan American Games, and in 1990, 1994 and 2002 to the Commonwealth Games in part. She won at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta two bronze medals, in the road race (104 km ) and in the individual time trial ( 26.1 km ). She was also a participant in the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.

As a speed skater, she won the bronze medal over 5000 meters at the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City. In the XX. 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, she won over the same discipline the gold medal. With teammates Kristina Groves, Christine Nesbitt, Cindy Klassen and Shannon Rempel they won already days before the silver medal in the team pursuit. At the opening ceremony of the XXI. 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver was Clara Hughes flag bearer for the Canadian Olympic Team. During this Olympic Games, she won again the bronze medal over 5,000 meters in her last Olympic race. Thus, she has won a total of six Olympic medals in her career and is now the most successful along with her ​​teammate Cindy Klassen Canadian athlete.

On 19 November 2010 she explained her career on the bike to want to continue to participate in the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Here she was fifth in the 500 -meter time trial and 32 in the road race. In the 2012 season, it was this member of Team Specialized lululemon. In the same year she was again Canadian champion in the time trial on the road. Early 2013 she announced her retirement from competitive cycling.

Hughes has since 2012 athletes ambassador of development organization Right to Play.

World Cup rankings in speed skating

(As of 3 December 2009)