Hughes, Sarah, born in 1985, American figure skater (see Ice Skating) who won the women’s gold medal at the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. A flawless performance in the long program at the Olympics gave the 16-year-old Hughes a come-from-behind victory for her first major international title.

Hughes was born and raised in Great Neck, New York, where she first began skating in her family’s backyard rink at the age of three. With the encouragement of older siblings and her parents, she was skating in exhibitions with stars such as Peggy Fleming by age six. Hughes progressed through the junior rankings, winning the United States junior nationals in 1998 when she was 12 years old.

The following year Hughes moved up to the senior level, guided by her coach, Robin Wagner. She took fourth at the 1999 United States Championships, third in 2000, and second in 2001. She also competed at the World Championships beginning in 1999, finishing seventh that year, fifth in 2000, and third in 2001. Hughes faced constant stiff competition from skaters such as American Michelle Kwan and Russia’s Irina Slutskaya. Kwan won her fifth straight U.S. title in early 2002, while Hughes finished third to secure the final spot on the U.S. Olympic team.

At the Winter Games in February 2002, a cautious short program put Hughes in fourth place trailing Kwan, Slutskaya, and American Sasha Cohen. The long program is worth two-thirds of the overall score, however, and Hughes skated it with daring and grace, landing seven triple jumps, including two triple-triple combinations. When none of the skaters ahead of her could match the technically demanding performance, a stunned Hughes ended up in first place and took the gold medal.