Cathy Freeman

Medal record
Cathy Freeman
Women’s Athletics
Competitor for  Australia
Olympic Games
Gold	2000 Sydney	400 m
Silver	1996 Atlanta	400 m
World Championships
Gold	1997 Athens	400 m
Gold	1999 Seville	400 m
Bronze	1995 Gothenburg	4 × 400 m relay
Commonwealth Games
Gold	1990 Auckland	4 × 100 m
Gold	1994 Victoria	200 m
Gold	1994 Victoria	400 m
Gold	2002 Manchester	4 × 400 m
Silver	1994 Victoria	4 × 100 m

Catherine Astrid Salome Freeman, OAM (known as Cathy Freeman) (born 16 February 1973) is an Australian Aboriginal sprinter who is particularly associated with the 400 metres race. She became the Olympic champion for 400 m in the 2000 Sydney games, at which she lit the Olympic Flame^[1]. Freeman was born in Slade Point, Mackay, Queensland, where the local athletics track is now named after her.

Career

Freeman began athletics at an early age. Her first coach was her stepfather, Bruce Barber. By her early teens she had a collection of regional and national titles, having competed in the 100 metres, 200 metres and high jump.

In 1990, Freeman was chosen as a member of Australia's 4×100 m relay team for the 1990 Commonwealth Games in Auckland, New Zealand. The team won the gold medal, making Freeman the first ever Aboriginal Commonwealth Games gold medallist, as well as one of the youngest, at 16 years old. She was then selected to represent Australia at the 1990 World Junior Championships in Athletics in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. There, she reached the semi-finals of the 100 m and placed fifth in the final of the 400 m.

Freeman competed in her second World Junior Championships in Seoul, South Korea. She competed only in the 200 m, winning the silver medal behind China's Hu Ling. Also in 1992, she travelled to her first Olympic Games, reaching the second round of her new speciality event; the 400 metres. At the 1993 World Championships in Athletics, Freeman competed in the 200 m, reaching the semi-finals.

1994 was Freeman's breakthrough season, when she entered into the world's elite for the first time. Competing at the 1994 Commonwealth Games in Canada, Freeman won gold in both the 200 m and 400 m. She also competed as a member of Australia's 4x100 m squad, winning the silver medal and as a member of the 4x400 m team, who finished first but were later disqualified. During the 1994 season, Freeman took 1.3 seconds from her 400 m personal best, achieving 50.04 seconds. She also set all-time personal bests in the 100 m (11.24) and 200 m (22.25).

Although a medal favourite at the 1995 World Championships in Athletics in Sweden, Freeman finished fourth. She also reached the semi-finals of the 200 m.

Freeman made more progress during the 1996 season, setting many personal bests and Australian records. By this stage, she was the biggest challenger to France's Marie-José Pérec at the 1996 Olympics. She eventually took the silver medal behind Pérec, in an Australian record of 48.63 seconds. This is still the sixth fastest time ever and the second fastest since 1985. Pérec's winning time of 48.25 was an Olympic record and the third fastest ever.

In 1997, Freeman won the 400 m at the World Championships in Athens, with a time of 49.77 seconds. Her only loss in the 400 m that season was in Oslo where she injured her foot.

Freeman took a break for the 1998 season, due to injury. Upon her return to the track in 1999, Freeman did not lose a single 400 m race, including at the World Championships.

Her winning streak continued into the 2000 season, despite Pérec's return to the track. Freeman was the home favorite for the 400 m title at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, where she was expected to face-off with rival Pérec. This showdown never happened, as Pérec left the Games after an encounter with an Australian photographer. Freeman won the Olympic title in a time of 49.11 seconds, becoming only the second Australian Aboriginal Olympic champion (the first was Nova Peris-Kneebone for field hockey in Atlanta). After the race, Freeman took a victory lap, carrying both the Aboriginal and Australian flags. This was despite the fact that unofficial flags are banned at the Olympic Games and the Aboriginal flag, while recognized as official in Australia, is not a national flag, nor recognized by the International Olympic Committee. Freeman also made the final of the 200 m, coming sixth. In honour of her gold medal win in Sydney, she represented Oceania in carrying the Olympic flag at the opening ceremonies of the next Olympics, in Salt Lake City, joining Archbishop Desmond Tutu (Africa), John Glenn (The Americas), Kazuyoshi Funaki (Asia), Lech Wałęsa (Europe), Jean-Michel Cousteau (Environment), Jean-Claude Killy (Sport), and Steven Spielberg (Culture).

Throughout her career, Freeman regularly competed in the Victorian Athletic League where she won two 400 m races at the Stawell Gift Carnival.

Freeman did not compete during the 2001 season. In 2002, she returned to the track to compete as a member of Australia's victorious 4x400 m relay team at the 2002 Commonwealth Games.

Freeman announced her retirement in 2003.^[2]

Since retiring from athletics Freeman has become involved in a range of community and charitable activities. Cathy is also an Ambassador of the Australian Indigenous Education Foundation (www.aief.com.au)

Personal life

Freeman was born at Slade Point Mackay, Queensland. She and her brothers Gavin, Garth and Norman (who died after a motor vehicle accident on 16 September 2008) ^[3] were raised there and in other parts of Queensland. She also had a sister named Anne-Marie (1966–1990) who suffered from cerebral palsy and spent much of her life in a home for the disabled. Freeman attended several schools, but was mostly educated at Fairholme College, in Toowoomba. Her parents separated when she was at a young age and her mother re-married when Freeman was nine. Freeman has described how she has been influenced by early experiences with racism and also by her Bahá'í faith.^[4] Freeman was raised a Baha'i, and says of her faith, "I'm not a devout Baha'i but I like the prayers and I appreciate their values about the equality of all human kind".^[5][6]

Freeman had a long-term romantic relationship with Nic Bideau, her manager, that ended in acrimony and legal wranglings over Freeman's endorsement earnings.^[7] Freeman married Sandy Bodecker, a Nike executive, in 1999. After her success in Sydney she took an extended break from the track to nurse Bodecker through a bout of cancer. She announced their separation in February 2003. Freeman also dated actor Joel Edgerton for a period of time after her retirement.

In October 2006 Freeman announced her engagement to Melbourne stockbroker James Murch.^[8] They married at Spray Farm on the Bellarine Peninsula on 11 April 2009.^[9]

In 2008 Freeman participated in Who Do You Think You Are? and discovered that she has Chinese and English heritage.^[10]

On her right arm, the side closest to the spectators on an athletics track, she had the words "Cos I'm Free" tattoed mid-way between her shoulder and elbow.^[11]

Personal bests

Awards

• Australian of the Year 1998
• In 2001, Freeman received the Olympic Order from Juan Antonio Samaranch.
• Laureus named Freeman Sportswoman of the Year in 2001
• Arthur Ashe Courage Award 2001
• Order Of Australia-Medal (OAM)
• The Deadlys 2003 - Female Sportsperson of the Year

References

Further reading

• McGreggor, A. (1998) Cathy Freeman; A Journey Just Begun. Milsons Point, Random House Australia. ISBN 0-09-183647-2.

External links

• IAAF profile for Cathy Freeman
• Official Website
• The Catherine Freeman Foundation
• Profile
• Powerhouse Museum collection

Winners of the Laureus World Sports Award for Sportswoman of the Year 2000: Marion Jones* · 2001: Cathy Freeman · 2002: Jennifer Capriati · 2003: Serena Williams · 2004: Annika Sörenstam · 2005: Kelly Holmes · 2006: Janica Kostelić · 2007: Yelena Isinbayeva · 2008: Justine Henin · 2009: Yelena Isinbayeva · 2010: Serena Williams * Since this award, Jones has admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs. Her award is in doubt.