Cathy Freeman

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Image:Sydney-Olympics-Opening-Ceremony.jpg

Catherine Astrid Salome Freeman (born February 16, 1973) is an Australian athlete. As an Aboriginal, she is regarded as a role model for her people, and by many in the non-Aboriginal community as a symbol of national reconciliation between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians. Her religious beliefs are that of the Baha'i Faith.

Born in Mackay, Queensland, Australia, Freeman won the Olympic title in the 400 m event in front of her home crowd in Sydney on September 25, 2000 during the Sydney 2000 Olympics. In her own words, she "ran her little black butt off". The medal is regarded as Australia's 100th gold medal. Earlier, she lit the Olympic Flame in the Games' Opening Ceremony. This made her the only Olympic flame lighter who went on to win a gold medal at the same games.

Prior to 2000, Freeman had already won two World Championships in the same distance, in Athens (1997) and Seville (1999). At the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, she won the silver medal behind Marie-José Perec of France in the 400m event.

She created a great deal of controversy at the 1994 Commonwealth Games by waving the Aboriginal flag as well as the Australian flag during her victory lap of the arena. Normally, only the national flag is so waved. There was no such controversy when she did the same after winning her gold medal at the Sydney 2000 Olympics, even though the use of non-national flags at the Olympics is officially forbidden.

Freeman had a long-term romantic relationship with Nick Bideau, her manager, that ended in acrimony and legal wranglings over Freeman's endorsement earnings.Template:Ref

Freeman married Sandy Bodecker, a Nike executive, in 1999, nursing him through a bout of cancer, taking an extended break from the track to do so. She announced their separation in February 2003.

Returning to running in 2003, Freeman clearly struggled for form and motivation after losses to upcoming Australian runner Jana Pittman, and a fifth placing in an athletics meet in May where she was thoroughly trounced by Ana Guevara of Mexico, the fastest 400 metre runner at that time.

On July 15, 2003 Freeman announced her retirement from competitive running.

On March 15 2006, Cathy Freeman was one of the final runners in the Queen's Baton Relay, bringing the baton into the MCG at the Opening Ceremony of the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.


Contents

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Personal Bests

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Date Event Venue Time
1994 100m 11.24
August 26, 1994 200m 22.25
2003 300m 36.42
July 29, 1996 400m 48.63
2000 4x400m Relay Split Sydney, Australia 49.35
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Achievements

Year Tournament Venue Result Event
1990 Australian Championships Melbourne, Australia 2nd 100m
1990 Australian Championships Melbourne, Australia 1st 200m
1990 Commonwealth Games Auckland, New Zealand 1st 4x100m Relay
1990 World Junior Championships Plovdiv, Bulgaria 5th 4x100m Relay
1990 World Junior Championships Plovdiv, Bulgaria 5th 200m
1991 Australian Championships Sydney, Australia 1st 200m
1992 1992 Summer Olympics Barcelona, Spain 7th 4x400m Relay
1992 Australian Championships Adelaide, Australia 2nd 200m
1992 Australian Championships Adelaide, Australia 3rd 400m
1992 World Junior Championships Seoul, Korea 6th 4x400m Relay
1992 World Junior Championships Seoul, Korea 2nd 200m
1993 Australian Championships Queensland, Australia 2nd 200m
1994 Australian Championships Sydney, Australia 1st 100m
1994 Australian Championships Sydney, Australia 1st 200m
1994 Commonwealth Games Victoria, British Columbia 2nd 4x100m Relay
1994 Commonwealth Games Victoria, British Columbia 1st 200m
1994 Commonwealth Games Victoria, British Columbia 1st 400m
1994 IAAF Grand Prix Final Paris, France 2nd 400m
1995 Australian Championships Sydney, Australia 2nd 200m
1995 Australian Championships Sydney, Australia 1st 400m
1995 IAAF World Championships Goteborg, Sweden 4th 400m
1995 IAAF World Championships Goteborg, Sweden 3rd 4x400m Relay
1996 1996 Summer Olympics Atlanta, Georgia 2nd 400m
1996 Australian Championships Sydney, Australia 1st 100m
1996 Australian Championships Sydney, Australia 1st 200m
1996 IAAF Grand Prix Final Milan, Italy 1st 400m
1997 Australian Championships Melbourne, Australia 2nd 200m
1997 Australian Championships Melbourne, Australia 1st 400m
1997 IAAF World Championships Athens, Greece 1st 400m
1998 Australian Championships Melbourne, Australia 1st 400m
1999 Australian Championships Melbourne, Australia 1st 400m
1999 IAAF World Championships Sevilla, Spain 1st 400m
1999 IAAF World Championships Sevilla, Spain 6th 4x100m Relay
1999 IAAF World Indoor Championships Maebashi, Japan 2nd 400m
2000 2000 Summer Olympics Sydney, Australia 1st 400m
2000 2000 Summer Olympics Sydney, Australia 7th 200m
2000 2000 Summer Olympics Sydney, Australia 5th 4x400m Relay
2000 Australian Championships Sydney, Australia 1st 200m
2000 Australian Championships Sydney, Australia 1st 400m
2000 Golden League 2000 - Exxon Mobil Bislett Games Oslo, Norway 1st 400m
2000 Golden League 2000 - Herculis Zepter Monaco 1st 400m
2000 Golden League 2000 - Meeting Gaz de France de Paris Paris, France 1st 200m
2000 Golden League 2000 - Memorial Van Damme Brussels, Belgium 1st 400m
2000 Grand Prix 2000 - Athletissima 2000 Lausanne, Switzerland 1st 400m
2000 Grand Prix 2000 - CGU Classic Gateshead, Great Britain 1st 200m
2000 Grand Prix 2000 - Melbourne Track Classic Melbourne, Australia 1st 400m
2000 Grand Prix 2000 - Tsi klitiria Meeting Athens, Greece 1st 400m
2002 Commonwealth Games Manchester, Great Britain 1st 4x400m Relay
2003 Australian Championships Brisbane, Australia 1st 400m
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Reference

  1. Template:Note Bideau's methods are make or break - by Raelene Boyle - publisher: SMH (22 March 2006)
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External links


Olympic medalists in athletics (women) | Olympic Champions in Women's 400 m
Betty Cuthbert | Colette Besson | Monika Zehrt | Irena Szewińska | Marita Koch | Valerie Brisco-Hooks | Olga Bryzgina | Marie-José Pérec (twice) | Cathy Freeman | Tonique Williams-Darling

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