Other names: HUGHES, Clara Anne

Born: 27 September 1972

Birthplace: Winnipeg (Canada)

Nationality: Canada

Sport: Cycling, Skating

ATTENDANCE AT THE OLYMPIC GAMES

Atlanta 1996

Sydney 2000

Salt Lake City 2002

Turin 2006

AWARDS

Olympic medals:

Gold: 1

Silver: 1

Bronze: 3

Other results:

World Championships (Cycling - Road)

Silver: 1 (1995)

World Single Distances Championships (Speed Skating)

Gold: 1 (2004)

On land and ice

For Clara Hughes, it all began in 1988 at the XV Olympic Winter Games in Calgary. Watching the television, she could not take her eyes off the speed skaters who shot around the Olympic oval. At 15, she was already dreaming of medals. It was, however, on a bike, that she made her Olympic debut.

In 1996 in Atlanta, Clara Hughes took part in her first Olympic Games. She competed in two events: the road race and time trial. She completed the 104.4km of the circuit and finished third, only 31 hundredths of a second behind gold medallist Jeannie Longo-Ciprelli. In the time trial, Clara Hugues also finished third with an average of 42.08km/h. The young Canadian left those Games with two bronze medals and thus laid the foundations for her fabulous Olympic career.

Four years later in Sydney, she took part in the same events, but this time did not win a medal, placing 43rd and 6th. In 2003, she retired from cycling with two Olympic medals and second place in the 1995 World Championships in the time trial. Nonetheless, Clara Hughes did not abandon her sporting career, as in 2001 she took up speed skating.

After only seven weeks of training, she was selected for the Canadian national team, and in 2002, she took part in the Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City. There she competed in the 3,000m and 5,000m, finishing 10th and 3rd respectively. Her goal had been reached; she stood on the podium draped in the Canadian flag and was presented with a bronze speed skating medal.

In 2006, after winning the world championship title in the 500m in 2004, she went to Turin for her second Olympic Winter Games. She participated in the team pursuit and won the silver medal with the Canadian relay, behind the Germans. In the 3,000m, she finished 9th. Finally, on 25 February, in the 5,000m, she gave an exceptional performance taking the lead only 200m from the finish, leaving Germany's Claudia Pechstein one second behind her. In her fourth Games participation, she finally realised her dream of becoming Olympic champion.

Clara Hughes is the second person in history, along with Germany's Christa Luding Rothenburger, to have won several medals at both the Summer and Winter Olympic Games.