In the last Olympic race of a truly remarkable career, she demonstrated exactly what she means.
The last four years leading to these home Olympics were a struggle for the 37-year-old from Winnipeg. There was a near fatal car accident and other calamities. On the ice, many times she felt like she didn't know how to skate anymore and that she might be better off quitting.
But not this time, not when she grabbed a bronze medal to put an exclamation mark on one of the finest Olympic careers ever in this country. Never did bronze have such a golden shine.
Hughes was calm when she went to the line. Her longtime coach Xiuli Wang gave her a specific instruction: 'Breathe.”
Several deep breaths later and Hughes was off. It was something to see, the complete focus and total absorption in what she was doing.
“It was pure at-oneness, I would say,” said a beaming Hughes afterwards. “Sometimes you feel outside yourself when that's happening and I've had that experience, I've had great races and I've felt like I was on the outside looking in.
She had help, too: a raucous crowd of 6,000-plus in attendance, including her mom Maureen, watching her skate in person for the first time ever, along with her husband Peter Guzman and his mom Mica. They were part of the “circle of strength” Hughes had around her.
“She (her mom) said to me some time ago, 'Clara, I'm going to be there. If I have to stand outside of that rink, I'm going to be there,” said Hughes. “I told her I probably could get her a ticket.”
The Olympic defending champion at this distance kept her attention on what her stride felt like, how it felt to build the turns and the way she'd have to dig deep in those final five laps. The trick was that while she wanted to go harder, she knew she'd lose her rhythm if she did.
“For the first time in a long, long time, I didn't fight myself on the ice.”
But she had a lot of fight. That has defined her for her entire 20-year sporting career.
“She never gives up,” said Wang, her pride in her athlete so evident.
When Hughes crossed the line, she absolutely revelled in her performance, pumping her fist, waving to the crowd, giving Wang a huge hug and blowing kisses to her mom.
The favourites were still to come – Martina Sablikova of the Czech Republic, who'd win gold, and Stephanie Beckert, who took silver – but people kept telling Hughes she'd be on the podium.
As for the future, Hughes has her eye on a career in broadcasting, but for the present time plans to buy a kayak on Granville Island in the next few days so she can use it on adventures with her husband. Hughes was a colour commentator on cycling for CBC at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
“It's more fun being on your side, but there is nothing like this,” she said. “There is nothing like this. The thing working in broadcasting in China showed me is it's a really special thing to be an Olympic athlete.
“I thought 'I get to do this one more time.' And I never lost sight of what 'this' is. Because when it's over, it's over. And now it's actually over. Wow.”
