Clara Hughes Quotes (30 Quotes)

Realistically, I've only been skating for five years. I know if I do choose to go for another Games, I'll physiologically still be in my prime as a female athlete. It's a matter of what I want to do.

I think all of us fundamentally hope it has an effect on the youth of Canada, because all of us were inspired by Olympics past.

I thought I was going to die, my legs were seizing up. And then when I could move, I started crying, I was just so happy.

The traveling schedule is pretty crazy. We were in Europe before we went to Korea. You get used to dealing with the jet lag, you have to.

I've had so many experiences in cycling, but in some ways I have nothing left to prove. I have achieved more than I could have dreamed of, I've raced a lot longer than I thought I would. I know I can still be better, but I just don't know if I love it enough any more.

I love skating so much and I feel like every time I step out onto the ice, that's what I'm meant to do.

Yeah, there are no weapons. But there are weapons and that is your physical capacity. That's sport. It is absolutely a war.

It's really neat to look at the top-six times and see how fast the women are. It shows we have a lot of depth. Every year we just keep getting better and better. We wanted to go out in the first races of the year and show that our preparations are going well for the Olympics.

I always have to remind myself that I'm human and that the potential of the human being is that there's a magic that can happen within that, ... That's where it can bring you beyond what your body might be able to do. I'm so excited just to go there and just let it unfold.

I'm trying to let winning the world championships settle in right now before I begin training again shortly. During the skating season, we skate on average 20 kilometres a day. On top of that, we're riding a lot and lifting a lot of weights.

I've been in sport for 15 years now and I'm actually shocked at the changes. We had all these things, but we couldn't utilize them. They were not accessible to us. They're actually accessible right now.

It was my fourth Pan Ams, but I still had experiences that I will remember all my life. The people were so wonderful and warm, and I had a great time.

If you dream and you allow yourself to dream you can do anything. And that's what this Olympic medal represents.

To receive something like this at my age is incredible, and it's something that I never thought could happen.

We didn't even want to watch the guys in the semis, because we were so nervous. And then I ran out and watched the last two laps on TV. I ran into the change room to tell the girls our guys were in the gold-medal (final). And we were just screaming in the change room. It was like kids.

At the point where I feel like I'm going to collapse, I want to have the courage and the capacity and the ability to fight and to attack the race. I want to be able to get myself to that point and then I want to execute that and not give in to the pain.

That's what is most satisfying, is having overcome that pain. Pain that is so intense that when you finish, it feels like you're going to die. That's what I wanted, and that's what I got.

I think I can handle a lot of pain. I think I've demonstrated that,

I was kind of afraid like, What if I'm not good any more What if I need to be a cyclist to be a good skater What if taking that element away meant I would suck at skating' ... I was really unsure and frustrated.

I still can't believe I won the Olympics. That's what I feel right now - completely alive as a human being. It's a really beautiful moment.

To actually go beyond that and to go harder in the last third in the race is something I don't even like talking about it's so hard. But that's what I need to train for and that's my goal, to get to that point, and to be able just to viciously attack as if I am fighting for my life. That's it. That's all I want.

I was fighting for my life. That's how I thought about it. Just getting everything out of my body.

I couldn't move my legs. My coach came over and I was still in shock that I'd won the gold medal.

I'm so thrilled. This has been a dream.

I'll skate on concrete if I have to. I'm not worried about how fast the ice is. I'm worried about how fast I can go on the ice.

I thought if they can turn things around, then so can we. I hope this is momentum for the speed skating team and for our Olympic team. We needed a day like this.

What I have to do now is figure where my passion is, and follow my heart; I've proven that if I have the passion for something then I can succeed. I haven't been listening to my heart in the last little while.

After a lot of struggle, there is a point when the body cannot fight any more, and the after-effects are like succumbing to drowning,

We dug it out of the ice -- I had no idea it was there.

I am kind of like a diesel. It is the cyclist in me.