 Hughes at the 2012Stars on Ice | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Sarah Elizabeth Hughes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1985-05-02)May 2, 1985 (age 40) Great Neck, New York, U.S. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Figure skating career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country | United States | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Skating club | Skating Club of New York | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Retired | 2003 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Medal record | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Sarah Elizabeth Hughes (born May 2, 1985)[1] is an American former competitivefigure skater. She is the2002 Olympic Champion and the2001 World bronze medalist in ladies' singles.
Hughes was born inGreat Neck, New York, a suburb on Long Island.[2] Her father, John Hughes, was a Canadian ofIrish descent and was one of the captains of the undefeated and untiedNCAA champion 1969–70Cornell Universityice hockey team. Her mother, Amy Pastarnack, isJewish[3] and is a breast cancer survivor. This led Hughes to become an advocate for breast cancer awareness. She appeared in a commercial forGeneral Electric promoting breast cancer awareness and research. Hughes stated, "I always said that if I can get one person to get amammogram, I've accomplished something."[4] Among the other causes Hughes supports is Figure Skating in Harlem, which provides free ice skating lessons and academic tutoring for girls in theHarlem community inNew York City. Hughes has supported this program for over ten years.[5]
Hughes attendedGreat Neck North High School.[6] In 2003, she began her studies atYale University. She was inTimothy Dwight College.[7] On May 25, 2009, Hughes graduated from Yale and received a bachelor's degree in American studies with a concentration in U.S. politics and communities.[8] She graduated from theUniversity of Pennsylvania Law School on May 15, 2018.[9] As of May 2023, Hughes was pursuing a business degree atStanford University.[2]
Hughes had previously dated formerNew York City MayorRudy Giuliani's sonAndrew Giuliani in 2011, whom she befriended in 2005.[10]
Hughes is the fourth of six children. One of her younger sisters,Emily, is also a figure skater and competed at the2006 Winter Olympics.[11] She is the cousin ofGregg "Opie" Hughes, from theOpie and Anthony radio show.[12]
Hughes began skating at the age of three.[13]Robin Wagner, who also choreographed for her from 1994, became her head coach in January 1998.[6][13]
Hughes won the junior title at the1998 U.S. Championships in the 1997–1998 season. The following season, she competed on theISU Junior Grand Prix and won the silver medal at the 1998–1999 Junior Grand Prix Final. She also took silver at the1999 World Junior Championships held in November 1998. At the1999 U.S. Championships, Hughes won the pewter medal in her senior-level debut. As the fourth-place finisher, Hughes would not normally have received one of the three spots for U.S. ladies at the1999 World Championships, however,Naomi Nari Nam, the silver medalist, was not age-eligible for the event according to ISU rules. Hughes was likewise not age-eligible, but at the time a loophole existed for skaters who had medaled at Junior Worlds.[14] Hughes was sent to senior Worlds and finished 7th in her debut.[15]
In the 1999–2000 season, Hughes made her Grand Prix debut, winning the bronze medal at the1999 Trophée Lalique. She won the bronze medal at the2000 U.S. Championships and was credited with a triple-salchow-triple-loop combination.[16] She placed 5th at the2000 World Championships.[15]
On September 7, 2001, at the age of 16, Hughes was invited to meetUnited States National Security AdvisorCondoleezza Rice.[17]
In the 2000–2001 season, Hughes won three medals on the Grand Prix circuit and won the bronze medal at the2000–2001 Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final. She won the silver medal at the2001 U.S. Championships. At the2001 World Championships, she won the bronze medal.[15]
In the 2001–2002 season, Hughes again competed on the Grand Prix, winning the2001 Skate Canada International while placing second at her other two events. She won her second consecutive bronze medal at the Grand Prix Final and won the bronze medal at the2002 U.S. Championships to qualify for the2002 Winter Olympics.[18]
The week before the opening of the 2002 Olympics, Hughes appeared on the cover ofTime magazine.[19]
At the2002 Olympics, Hughes won the gold medal in what was widely considered one of the biggest upsets in figure skating history. She was the youngest skater in the competition, and was not expected to seriously challenge the favorites, teammateMichelle Kwan and Russia'sIrina Slutskaya. Hughes became the first woman in Olympic history to land two triple jump-triple jump combinations in a 4-minute free skate. Kwan, Slutskaya, andSasha Cohen (the three skaters that finished ahead of Hughes in the short program), all made significant mistakes in the free skate, clearing the way for Hughes to win gold.[20] Her Lutz jump was flawed, but her difficult and successful jump combinations made up for it. Her artistry, above-average edge quality, and ice coverage combined to establish her as a "strong all-around skater" and ensured her gold-medal win.[21]
After her Olympic win, Hughes was honored with a parade in her hometown ofGreat Neck, attended byU.S. SenatorsHillary Clinton andChuck Schumer, as well asGovernor of New YorkGeorge Pataki. Clinton spoke at the event and declared it Sarah Hughes Day.[22] She received theJames E. Sullivan Award as the top amateur athlete in the U.S., becoming the third figure skater to win this award afterDick Button (1949) andMichelle Kwan (2001).[23]
Hughes did not compete at the2002 World Championships. In the 2002–2003 season, she won the silver medal at the2003 U.S. Championships,[17] and placed sixth at the2003 World Championships.[24]
Hughes took the 2004–2005 year off from college and skated professionally with theSmuckersStars on Ice tour company. She was inducted into theInternational Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 2005.[25]
Richard Krawiec wrote a biography about her,Sudden Champion: The Sarah Hughes Story (2002).[26]
Hughes employed a variety of triple-triple jump combinations, including a tripleloop-triple loop, triplesalchow-triple loop, and a tripletoe-triple loop. She would also perform the triple loop jump which she often completed out of and following a back spiral. She was known for hercamel spin with a change of edge as well as her spiral position.[citation needed] Unlike most skaters, she executed jumps and spins clockwise.
On May 15, 2023, Hughes filed paperwork to run forCongress as aDemocrat inNew York's 4th congressional district.[17] She withdrew from the race on September 9.[27]
| Season | Short program | Free skating | Exhibition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002–2003 [28] |
|
| |
| 2001–2002 [6][29] |
|
| |
| 2000–2001 [30] |
|
| |
| 1999–2000 [13] |
| Beatles medley:
|
GP:Grand Prix; JGP:Junior Grand Prix
| International[31] | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Event | 97–98 | 98–99 | 99–00 | 00–01 | 01–02 | 02–03 |
| Winter Olympics | 1st | |||||
| World Champ. | 7th | 5th | 3rd | WD | 6th | |
| GPFinal | 3rd | 3rd | ||||
| GPCup of Russia | 3rd | |||||
| GPSkate America | 4th | 2nd | 2nd | |||
| GPSkate Canada | 1st | |||||
| GPSparkassen Cup | 2nd | |||||
| GPTrophée Lalique | 3rd | 2nd | ||||
| Vienna Cup | 1st | |||||
| International: Junior[31] | ||||||
| World Junior Champ. | 2nd | |||||
| JGPFinal | 2nd | |||||
| JGPHungary | 2nd | |||||
| JGPMexico | 2nd | |||||
| National[31] | ||||||
| U.S. Championships | 1st J | 4th | 3rd | 2nd | 3rd | 2nd |
| J = Junior level | ||||||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
