Media release: Record setting Canadian Olympian returns to Hamilton for community talk at Mohawk and plaque dedication in Dundas

MOHAWK TALKS AT FENNELL CAMPUS APRIL 26 AND CLARA’S CLIMB IN DUNDAS APRIL 27

HAMILTON ( April 8, 2013) -- The only athlete to win multiple medals in both Summer and Winter Games returns to the city and the hill where she began her road to Olympic glory.

Six-time Canadian Olympic medallist Clara Hughes brings her Strive for Success message to Mohawk College Friday, April 26. Mohawk Talks with Clara Hughes will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. in the McIntyre Performing Arts Centre at the college’s Fennell Campus (doors open at 9:30 a.m. for general admission seating). Presented in partnership with McKeil Marine Ltd. and The Hamilton Spectator, tickets for the community event are $10 and available online and at the door.

On Saturday, April 27, Hughes returns to Sydenham Road in Dundas for Clara’s Climb. A dedication ceremony and plaque unveiling will take place at the summit of the hill where Hughes trained from 1991 to 1997 for the Olympics. A cycling honour guard from CHCH National Cycling Centre Hamilton will escort Hughes through Dundas and up Sydenham Road to the lookout for the 11 a.m. ceremony.

Hughes is a six-time Olympic medalist in cycling and speed skating, winning a gold, silver and four bronze medals. In 2012, CBC named Hughes one of Canada’s 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.

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For more on the April 26 Mohawk Talks with Clara Hughes at the college’s Fennell Campus, 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, ccartersmith@cogeco.ca

Clare Crozier, shirl@interlynx.net