TURIN, Italy -- Clara Hughes' first day as an Olympic champion was strangely silent.

Not because nobody wanted to talk to her, but because she'd lost her voice.

The winner in the women's 5,000-kilometre speed skating event, the 33-year-old Winnipegger probably left it on the track Saturday, along with virtually everything else.

Hughes was so exhausted after bettering German star Claudia Pechstein she collapsed, needing several minutes to recover.

It takes more than a bad throat, though, to silence her.

A passionate advocate for the children's charity, Right to Play, Hughes raised more than $25,000, online, in the 24 hours following her gold-medal skate.

Another $100,000 in pledges were collected from across Canada, Right to Play founder Johann Olav Koss said yesterday.

"There are people who were inspired by Clara," Koss, the former Olympic medal winning skater, said at a news conference here. "She's an amazing woman. It's absolutely fantastic what's happened to her."

The donations -- one as high as $1,000 -- poured in after Hughes revealed she was donating $10,000 to the fund, then challenged Canadians to contribute what they could, too.

Dug into her own pocket

Her idea came after American skater Joey Cheek pledged his Turin medal winnings to the organization.

Unlike their U.S. counterparts, though, Canadian athletes don't get financial bonuses for winning medals, so Hughes dug into her own pocket.

The thought of helping kids in need actually helped motivate her for the race, Hughes said Saturday.

"That was a lot of inspiration," she said. "Realizing I have something that I can give."

Her gold-medal performance gave her the stage to make her plea.

The win, coupled with Cindy Klassen's five-medal performance, continued a trend that's seen Canada chip away at German domination of women's speed skating.

"Germany and Canada have been battling on long track," Koss, who's from Norway, said. "And Canada has taken over."

Right to Play (righttoplay.com) was started as a legacy of the Lillehammer Games in 1994.

The organization has helped more than half a million children in war-torn or poverty-stricken countries play sports, either by constructing facilities, distributing equipment or training coaches.

"Play can give so much to the world, so much positive energy," Hughes said.