Media release: Record-setting Canadian Olympian returns to Hamilton for community talk and dedication ceremony

HAMILTON ( April 26, 2013) — The only athlete to win multiple medals in Summer and Winter Games has returned to the city and the hill where she began her road to Olympic glory.

On Friday, April 26 at 10:30 a.m., six-time Canadian Olympic medallist Clara Hughes will speak about the transformative power of sport and how it transformed her life during a community event at Mohawk College’s McIntyre Performing Arts Centre. Mohawk Talks with Clara Hughes is presented by McKeil Marine Ltd. with The Hamilton Spectator. Hughes, 40, is donating her speaker’s fee to Take a Hike, an alternative education program that engages at-risk youth through adventure-based learning, academics, counseling and community involvement.

On Saturday, April 27, Hughes will return to Sydenham Road in Dundas for a dedication ceremony and celebration of her athletic achievements and humanitarian contributions. A commemorative plaque will be unveiled at the summit of the hill where Hughes trained from 1991 to 1998 for the Olympics. Hughes credited her training on the 116 metre hill for helping her win two bronze medals in cycling at the 1996 Olympics. An honour guard from the CHCH National Cycling Centre Hamilton will escort Hughes through Dundas and up Sydenham Road to the lookout for the 11 a.m. ceremony. The dedication ceremony is supported by McKeil Marine, The City of Hamilton, The Hamilton Spectator and Sport Hamilton.

Hughes is a six-time Olympic medallist in cycling and speed skating, winning a gold, silver and four bronze medals. In 2012, CBC named Hughes one of Canada’s 10 most influential figures in sports and one of the country’s greatest citizens. Hughes is the national spokesperson for Bell Canada’s Mental Health initiative and the ‘Let’s Talk’ campaign. By sharing past struggles with depression, Hughes has helped break down the stigma associated with mental illness. On April 25, Hughes announced plans to ride her bike coast to coast to coast for more than 100 days to talk about mental health with schools and community groups. Beginning in March 2014, “Clara’s Big Ride for Bell Let’s Talk” will cover more than 12,000 kilometres and end in Ottawa on Canada Day.

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For more on Mohawk Talks with Clara Hughes, contact: Jay Robb, Mohawk College Director of Communications, 905.575.1212 ext. 3965, 905.979.8893, jay.robb@mohawkcollege.ca .

For more on the April 27 Clara’s Climb and the dedication ceremony in Dundas, contact: Cecelia Carter Smith at ccartersmith@cogeco.ca or Clare Crozier at shirl@interlynx.net .