Sunday, February 24, 2002
Medal temporary cure for mom's cold
By DAVID SCHMEICHEL -- Winnipeg Sun
Nothing cures a nasty cold like a kid with an Olympic medal.
Just ask Maureen Hughes, whose daughter Clara won a bronze medal in the women's 5,000-metre long track speed skating event yesterday afternoon.
"You can say it numbed my cold a bit," said the proud mom, who's been battling the bug since Wednesday. "It's taken away the cold momentarily -- it's just so outstanding."
In addition to being a personal best, Clara's 6:53.53 minute time won her a spot among the Olympic elite.
A former Winnipeg resident (now training in Calgary), Clara is one of only four athletes -- and the first Canadian -- to win medals in both the Winter and Summer Games, having snared two bronze medals for women's cycling in Atlanta in 1996.
Clara medalled in the women's road race and time trial events in Georgia, making her one of just two women with bi-seasonal honours under their belts.
"It's great for her to be able to go into the record books like this," said Hughes, who watched her daughter's race while "quarantined" at her Elmwood home yesterday.
Hughes said it's actually not that unusual for speed skaters to be equally adept on a bike.
"A lot of speed skaters take up cycling in the summer, as part of their training," she explained. "It's a fairly natural crossover from speed skating to cycling."
Hughes was also happy Clara was able to share her Olympic moment with teammate Cindy Klassen, a fellow Winnipegger who finished fourth in yesterday's race with a time of 6:55.89 minutes.
The finish -- another personal best -- capped a stellar Olympic run for Klassen, who won a bronze medal in the women's 3,000-metre event two weeks ago, and came fourth in the 1,500-metre last Wednesday.
When contacted at home, Klassen's brother, Cary, said he was thrilled with his sister's performance, but admitted to sneaking a peek at the race results before the rest of the country.
"We'd been following the times on the Internet," Cary said. "So we saw it on the Internet a little before it was broadcast on TV, which makes it not quite as much fun to watch."
[an error occurred while processing this directive]
2002 Games Long Track Speed Skating Coverage
