"Old Lady" Olympian Clara Hughes Retires

Clara Hughes is one of only few Olympic athletes to win medals in both the Summer and Winter Games, and after she won a silver medal at Turin she became the only athlete in history to win multiple medals at both Summer and Winter Olympics. Hughes now retires from Olympic sport with a total of six medals, including a bronze in the women's 5,000 metre speed skating event won February 24^th.

The Success Story of Clara Hughes

Unlike many outstanding athletes, Hughes had a rather late start in sports. She began to speed skate at the age of sixteen. She was the child of divorced parents, and already by age thirteen had a history of experimenting with drugs and alcohol, skipping school and running away from home. Despite her late start and her past difficulties, Hughes mastered not one but two sports, having added cycling to her repertoire at age seventeen.

She makes no secret of her troubled youth. Instead, Hughes advises parents to nurture their children's interests in art, music, dance or sport. The potential for a casual interest to turn into a driving passion is always present, as it was for Hughes herself. She decided to become a speed skater after seeing the sport on television during the Calgary 1988 Olympics. Now 37 she is proud of a history of giving her all, whenever she competes.

Honour and Humility

After her race on Wednesday Hughes referred to the experience as, "one of the greatest days of my athletic life." Downplaying suggestions that she be considered Canada's finest athlete, she prefers to focus on her own assessment of her performance. Waiting for her favourite skaters to compete, she was repeatedly told she would surely make it to the podium this last race. It didn't matter, because she knew she had done her best. It was the first time in a long while that she wasn't fighting herself, she was in the moment and completely absorbed in the race. It was excellence, she says. Whether she came first or fifth was unimportant at that moment, because she had performed well.

Today that seems to be a rare trait in any athlete, whether amateur or professional. Clara Hughes gives a whole new dimension to "owning the podium."

Future Plans

Twenty years of training and competition have meant a lot of things put on that proverbial back burner. Asked what she plans to do now, Hughes spoke of having time to focus on the things that have been put on hold all this time. Even before she leaves Vancouver, she plans to visit Granville Island and buy a kayak. She also spoke of a trip with her husband to the mountains of Peru.

Hughes may end up as a coach or sports commentator, as have so many other athletes once they retire. But there are many other doors she can choose to go through. Already an ambassador for NGO Right to Play, Hughes also has a degree in visual arts and interests in reading and writing, as well as birdwatching. Any one of these areas may prove to be the next challenge Clara Hughes will tackle, and it's sure she will immerse herself fully in whatever she chooses to do.

"I will be competitive until my grave," says one of the world's finest athletes. "And I kind of like that."

Sources:

"Clara Hughes's finest hour" CBC News

"Clara Hughes: Games icon caps career in style" Randy Starkman (The Star)

"Clara Hughes, speed skating" Vancouver 2010 athlete profile

"Clara Hughes' untold story: Wild teen to Olympic champ" Randy Starkman (The Star)

"The 'old lady' says bye with a bronze" George Johnson (Canwest News)