Clara Hughes is retiring from the Olympics, the popular Canadian athlete announced Wednesday.
The news comes after she finished in fifth place in the women’s time trial at the London games, almost a minute behind the winner, American Kristin Armstrong.
Hughes also revealed Wednesday the seriousness of an injury she suffered at the Gatineau road race in late May, a day after winning the time trial of the Gatineau Grand Prix. Someone fell in front of her, and Hughes flew over the handlebars of her bike. She finished the race, then was taken to hospital for an X-ray.
Hughes learned she had a broken vertebrae. “I was racing and training (for London) with a broken back for six weeks.”
It’s not the first injury Hughes has suffered in preparing for competition. Her journey to the Olympics has been lengthy, and one filled with mixed emotions.
But intensity and dedication have taken Hughes to where she is. No matter what the season, she trains by either skating on the rink or cycling on the road.
The Winnipeg native is part of a rare group, competing in both in the Winter and Summer Olympics. She has won six medals in speed skating and cycling.
After competing in five Olympics, Hughes was still getting a rush. “It doesn’t wear thin at all. I feel as excited as I was the first time and it is such an incredible gift…to be able to pursue this and have the chance to have the race of my life for Canada – it’s like a dream,” she told Global News in June.
“I’m so proud to be nominated…to the Canadian Olympic team and to be a part of this incredible time and momentum in cycling in Canada. It’s something that makes me very proud and incredibly motivated. I get to share these Olympics with two teammates (Denise Ramsden and Joëlle Numainville). They’re first-time Olympians and…I’m really happy with the selection that was made and really proud to be on the team with both of you.”
Many thought the 39-year-old would retire before the London games, but despite injuries and a few spills – she says she’s in better shape than ever. Genetics are on her side, she notes. “My dad’s like, I describe him as Paul Bunyan. He’s like this big, strong man.”
“I get my strength from him and I think I get my grace, if I have any grace, it’s from my mom.”
But Hughes admits she wasn’t always the strong athlete she is today. “Yeah I smoked a pack a day from grade 6 on.”
When she was 16, the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics changed her life. Hughes was “mesmerized” by speed skating, and realized this was her calling.
“As a teenager, I went through a pretty rough period, and got into a lot of trouble and sport is the thing that changed the path and the pattern and shifted the direction of my life, absolutely. It, in many ways, saved my life.”
She quit partying, smoking, and decided to return to school after dropping out for “a few months.”
It was a complete 180. No longer failing classes, Hughes wasn’t just passing – she became an honours student. Her goal was to enter a skating competition.
Then in 1989, she won a silver medal at the National Championships on ice in the 800m mass start event.
In 1990, cycling coach Mirek Mazur convinced Hughes to give the bicycle a shot. The advice proved to be lucrative for her, as she nabbed various medals and prizes over the next few years.
After some ups and downs, she became an Olympian in 1996, nabbing two bronze medals. But competing in the Atlanta games wasn’t the only highlight for Hughes that year – she also met her future husband Peter Guzman.
The intensive training required to compete in the Olympics left Hughes drained – both physically and emotionally. Her doctor had diagnosed her with depression. In 1998, Hughes took some time off for herself, and later rediscovered her love of cycling.
Determined to bounce back with the help of her new coach, Eric Van Den Eynde, Hughes would eventually find her way competing again in 1999.
But Hughes suffered another setback in 2000, just before the Sydney Olympics. She had the whooping cough, which left her too weak and unmotivated to train. Then, the sudden death of friend and teammate Nicole Reinhart forced Hughes to realize how short life can be. She got back onto the bike, and vowed to lace up her skates again.
After 16 months of intense training on the rink with coach Xiuli Wang, Hughes competed at the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics. She made history by winning a bronze in the 5,000m race. Hughes was now the only Canadian to ever win medals in both the Winter and Summer Olympics.
As soon as the Olympics wrapped up, Hughes returned to cycling, winning more medals in more competitions, but a series of back injuries forced her to reassess. She wasn’t off the bike for very long though, and won more hardware for her cycling.
Hughes came down with pneumonia just before the 2006 Torino Olympics. Like in 2000, the illness left her weak and uninspired – at first.
However, after watching a documentary on the plight of less fortunate children in Uganda, Hughes entered the 5,000m race determined to win. And she did. Hughes became Canada’s newest Olympic golden girl.
In 2008, Hughes was left with neck problems after a drunk driver hit her. She didn’t compete at the Beijing Olympics, but worked on it as a broadcaster. The games inspired her to start training for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.
Things were looking up again. Hughes was named Canada’s Olympic flag-bearer, and she proudly took home a bronze medal.
After the 2010 games, she changed focus. She hung up her skates, and talked openly about her bout with depression, hoping to inspire others who needed help.
“I try to give the example of how ridiculous this stigma that’s attached to any and all mental illness in Canada, around the world, how we look at people and look down at people who are suffering, and don’t support them,” Hughes says.
“(It) needs to change because I received support, and when I went through depression, I got through it because I had that supportive environment. That was a big part of it.”
“In some ways, that’s the one thing I look forward to when I’m not a competitive athlete…that I feel I’ll be able to use my voice more often to help the things and the people that can benefit from my help.”
Hughes couldn’t stay away from cycling, however, as she trained for the next two years to gear up for the 2012 London Olympics.
“That, I can honestly say, it is not about the result for me, it’s about this incredible process and this, this journey of growth and maturity and development as a human being, and kind of exploration as to what my capacities are, what I can bring to the starting line, and what I can unleash in the race,” she says cheerfully.
The athlete says sports made all the difference in her life. “It’s something that really when I say it changed my life and saved my life, I don’t exaggerate.”
“It had a lasting impression, you could say, 22 years later,” she says laughing.
“I just always want to have the race in my life. I want to be better than I ever have been, and the challenge for me is always, ‘How can I better myself?’, ‘How can I better than what I’ve been able to bring mentally and physically to the playing field?'”
“I’ll only be satisfied if I know that I’ve just emptied myself.”
When Hughes announced her Olympic retirement in London on Wednesday, she said, “Here I was fifth best. It was the best I had.”
In the meantime, she still plans to race in the world championships, but is eyeing a more relaxed lifestyle. She will be in demand as a motivational speaker, saying it’s time to ride a bike, without suffering on the bike.
Hughes, one of Canada’s most decorated athletes, has a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame, and has been inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame.
With a file from Postmedia News
Follow Allison on Twitter: @allisonvglobal
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