On 25 February 2006, Clara Hughes was crowned Olympic champion in the 5,000m at the Olympic Oval in Turin. Her success in speed skating, winning a total of four medals came after a podium finish in road cycling in Atlanta, 10 years earlier. The Canadian champion is the only athlete to win multiple medals at both the Winter and Summer Games.

Anna van der Breggen won the women’s road race title for the Netherlands following a heart-stopping climax to the event by the side of the Copacabana.