January 2, 2008 – On December 29, 2007, Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, Governor General of Canada, announced 61 new appointments to the Order of Canada. Among them was Olympic cyclist and speed skater Clara Hughes. Pedal caught up with Hughes this week to get her reaction to the announcement and to find out what the Olympic medalist has planned for 2008.

On Friday you were named as an Officer of the Order of Canada by Canada’s Governor General. When did you find out that you would be receiving this honour and what was your initial reaction to the news?

Clara Hughes: I found out about 2 months ago and it was difficult not to share the news with people- especially all of the people who have supported me for so long. I was pretty shocked when I found out the news- I suppose in some ways I feel that I am a bit young for something like this- but then again I tend to forget how old I am!

Right to Play is an organization that you have dedicated a lot of your energy to lately. Can you tell our readers a bit about what Right to Play is all about and why it’s sparked your interest in such a big way?

CH: It is an international humanitarian organization that uses sport and play as tools for a holistic way to improve the lives of the world’s most disadvantaged children. The programs resonated with me because of my own experience of having sport enter my life and having such a profound impact. I feel that the outlet of sport- competitive or not- is such a healthy, functional environment for kids and it’s something that I wish to help provide for as many children as possible. The healing powers of sport and play are powerful and they work. I’ve seen it in action during my time in Africa and cannot speak highly enough about the potential of Right to Play.

Why do you think that it’s so important for kids to be involved in competitive sport?

CH: Because it helps one grow and learn. It is also an important outlet for aggression and energy that kids need. For myself, competitive sport gave me the discipline I lacked as a teenager and gave me something worthwhile to focus on – it got me out of trouble!


Is it especially important for young girls to know that the world is also open to them?

CH: Yes, it’s crucial to the continued development of young girls. In Canada it is a different world than most demographics – even with all of our problems of inequality and discrimination – it really pales in comparison to what most females face in the world. When I was in Ethiopia, many of the programs were targeted at getting girls engaged in the programs and there were huge hurdles to get over or around in convincing families it was okay that their daughters were involved in sports. If young girls in these parts of the world could have .001% of the freedoms I have known as a Canadian female I can’t imagine the impact they could have in their families; in their communities.


What advice do you give to those young athletes that have dreams of one day standing atop the same podiums that you have?

CH: DO NOT be afraid to dream – you just never know what can happen! I think the most important advice is, as well, to make intelligent decisions as to who you surround yourself with. I have always been willing to go to the ends of the earth to make sure I have the best coach for me; the best environment, and have made huge sacrifices to have this. It has paid off and I can say that choosing good coaches and committing to them, believing in myself, has made me who and what I am today. It is impossible to do alone and who would want to, anyway?

Where do you keep your Olympic medals? Be honest!

CH: They are all over the place”¦.I gave my first two (Atlanta cycling bronze medals) to my Grandmother and Mom in Winnipeg, and on a recent visit home (Winnipeg) ended up leaving the Salt Lake City bronze medal (speed skating) there too. The gold medal (speed skating, 5000m) is being shipped to the museum of civilization in Quebec City for I think the next year for an exhibit on “˜gold in the americas’ in light of Quebec’s 400th Anniversary, and the silver medal from those same Olympics is here somewhere (maybe in the closet?) in my condo in Calgary. I have to keep one to bring to the talks and events that I do. I don’t have much of that stuff kicking around, I would much rather have art on my walls.


I suppose this would be a bit like having to choose between one’s children, but can you tell us a bit about how your feelings for cycling and skating differ? I don’t imagine that you have a favourite, but surely there must be things about each sport that you love and things that you wouldn’t miss.

CH: They are so different”¦I miss cycling when skating is not going so well but to be honest I left the sport at the perfect time. For all of the years I was a racing cyclist, I dreamed of skating for Canada so in many ways I am “˜living the dream’ right now. I love riding my bike and use it as a training tool. It’s funny, because we do these great training camps (the national speed skating team) and have access to all of this testing and training in the lab related to cycling, and I’m not even a cyclist! I wish I had all of the resources I have as a speed skater when I was a cyclist. It makes me sad to see the lack of funding in cycling in Canada right now. The talent is there as it always has been; the support is not. I also love bike touring and have had some incredible experiences traveling with my husband Peter by bike.

What are your goals for 2008, both on the ice and in your work off the ice?

CH: To continue to improve technically and stay passionate; motivated as an athlete. I am continuing my work with Right to Play and will be in West Africa this spring (Ghana) and just want to remain as actively engaged as I can in the programs. It really puts things into perspective and inspires me so much.

You’ve said that 2010 will be your last year as on Olympic athlete. How does that feel? Is there more pressure than ever to give the performance of your life in Vancouver or do you actually feel like you can relax a little and enjoy this lead up to your final competition?

CH: Oh, the pressure has always been there and to be honest, every Olympics I’ve been to except the first one (because I was just too young to have any awareness) I’ve raced them like it was the last breath I would take. It feels good to see an end to this path I am on, because there are a tremendous amount of other things I wish to do in this lifetime. At the same time, the here and the now is where it’s at, and until I reach that last race, I will be living each moment with awareness and appreciation for what it is.

Thanks so much Clara and congratulations!

CH: Thank you!