After winning the Olympics, she was approached by General Electric to appear in a commercial to promote awareness and research for breast cancer, the first to be entrusted with the position since President Reagan in the 1950s. She has earned many other honors such as the 2002 award for Best Olympian, the March of Dimes Sportswoman of the Year Award and the Robert Moses Master Builder Award, and in 2010 Hughes was inducted into the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame. She also supports the Women’s Sports Foundation as well as several skating events for breast cancer.

The veteran figure skater attended Yale University, graduating with a bachelor’s in American studies in 2009. She lives in Manhattan, working in real estate de-velopment, and is involved with the Kingsbridge National Ice Center in the Bronx, which upon completion will be the world’s largest indoor ice rink.

Sarah Hughes

BornOn Long Island

History was made this year at the Winter Olympics in Sochi, when Meryl Davis and Charlie White were the first ever U.S. couple to win gold in ice dancing. This was a proud victory for our nation and can be added to a list of success stories among all our athletes who have competed in the games. To honor Women’s History Month, we can also recognize the many talented women figure skaters, especially throughout the past 22 years, including silver medalists, Nancy Kerrigan, Michelle Kwan, and Sasha Cohen, as well as gold medalists Kristi Yamaguchi, Tara Lipinksi and Long Island’s very own Sarah Hughes.

Born in Great Neck, on May 2, 1985, Hughes is the fourth youngest female U.S. figure skater to win gold. Earning a medal at the Salt Lake City Olympics at just 16, Hughes has excelled at the sport since the age of 3. Before earning a spot on the Olympic team, she won the novice division of the Eastern Sectional in 1996, the National Junior’s Championship in 1998, and in 2001 won silver in the National Championships.

As she was skating her way to the top, her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer (which later went into remission). Instead of giving up, Hughes continued to persevere. The competitor, who was once seen as underdog, beat out fan-favorite Michelle Kwan for gold in 2002.

By Katrina Innamorato