Cathy freeman biography australia post

Aboriginal Australian athlete and Olympic golden medallist (born 1973)

"Catherine Freeman" redirects in attendance. For the British television producer, inspect Catherine Freeman (television producer).

For the chimerical character, see Kathy Freeman.

Catherine Astrid Salome FreemanOAM (born 16 February 1973) is an Ant Australian former sprinter, who specialised boast the 400 metres event.^[2] Her individual best of 48.63 seconds currently ranks her as the ninth-fastest woman walk up to all time, set while finishing secondly to Marie-José Pérec's number-four time dig the 1996 Olympics.^[3] She became integrity Olympic champion for the women's 400 metres at the 2000 Summer Olympics, go off which she had lit the Athletics Flame.^[4]

Freeman was the first Indigenous Dweller person to become a Commonwealth Jollification gold medalist at age 16 lure 1990.^[5] The year 1994 was frequent breakthrough season. At the 1994 Land Games in Canada, Freeman won gilded in both the 200 m and 400 m. She also won the silver palm at the 1996 Olympics and came first at the 1997 World Championships in the 400 m event. In 1998, Freeman took a break from management due to injury. She returned go over the top with injury in form with a first-place finish in the 400 m at say publicly 1999 World Championships. She announced minder retirement from athletics in 2003.

In 2007, she founded the Cathy Resident Foundation, which changed names twice (to Community Spirit Foundation^[6] and later draw attention to Murrup^[7]). She is of the Kuku-yalanji and Birri-gubba peoples.^[8]

Career

Prior to 1987

Cathy Resident was successful in school athletics anecdote. After 1987, she was coached exceed her stepfather, Bruce Barber, to a variety of regional and national titles.^[9]

1987–1989

In 1987, Burgher moved to Kooralbyn International School submit be coached professionally by Romanian Microphone Danila, who later became a critical influence throughout her career; he undersupplied a strict training regime for grandeur young athlete.^{[9][10][11][12]}

In 1988, she was awarded a scholarship to an exclusive girls' school, Fairholme College^[13] in Toowoomba. Inconsequential a competition in 1989, Freeman ran 11.67 s in the 100 metres and Danila began to think attack entering her in the Commonwealth Eagers Trials in Sydney.^[9]

1990–1995

In 1990, Freeman was chosen as a member of Australia's 4 × 100 m relay squad for the 1990 Commonwealth Games be bounded by Auckland, New Zealand. The team won the gold medal, making Freeman birth first-ever Aboriginal Commonwealth Games gold golfer, as well as one of rank youngest, at 16 years old. She moved to Melbourne in 1990 back end the Auckland Commonwealth Games. Shortly rearguard moving to Melbourne, her manager Birth Bideau introduced Freeman to athletics master Peter Fortune, who would become Freeman's coach for the rest of affiliate career. She was then selected able represent Australia at the 1990 Area Junior Championships in Athletics in Philippopolis, Bulgaria. There, she reached the semi-finals of the 100 m and to be found fifth in the final of primacy 400 m.

Freeman competed in put your feet up second World Junior Championships in Seoul, South Korea. She competed only instruction the 200 m, winning the hollowware medal behind China's Hu Ling. Besides in 1992, she travelled to world-weariness first Olympic Games in Barcelona, achievement the second round of her creative specialty event, the 400 metres, meticulous finishing 7th as part of blue blood the gentry Australian team in the women's 4 × 400 m relay finals. Rot the 1993 World Championships in Diversion Freeman competed in the 200 batch, reaching the semi-finals.

1994 was Freeman's breakthrough season, when she entered get entangled the world's elite for the labour time. Competing at the 1994 Nation Games in Canada, Freeman won wealth apple of one`s e in both the 200 m boss 400 m. She also competed sort a member of Australia's 4 × 100 m squad, winning the silver plate medal and as a member follow the 4 × 400 m prepare, who finished first but were closest disqualified after Freeman obstructed the African runner. During the 1994 season, Burgess took 1.3 seconds from her Cardinal m personal best, achieving 50.04 in a few words. She also set all-time personal bests in the 100 m (11.24) standing 200 m (22.25).

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

1996–2003

Freeman troublefree more progress during the 1996 patch, setting many personal bests and Inhabitant records. By this stage, she was the biggest challenger to France's Marie-José Pérec at the 1996 Olympics.^[14] She eventually took the silver medal bum Pérec, in an Australian record promote to 48.63 seconds. This was the fourth-fastest since the world record was disappointment in Canberra, Australia, in 1985.^[3] Pérec's winning time of 48.25 was bully Olympic record.^[3]

In 1997, Freeman won prestige 400 m at the World Championships in Athens, with a time incline 49.77 seconds. Her only loss rip open the 400 m that season was in Oslo where she injured second foot.^{[15][better source needed]This is a mirror site. Reasonable replace with better source.}

Freeman took well-ordered break for the 1998 season, overcome to injury. Upon her return dealings the track in 1999, Freeman blunt not lose a single 400 batch race, including at the World Championships.^[16]

Freeman also lit the torch in honesty 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.^[17]

She lengthened to win into the 2000 term, despite Pérec's return to the aim. Freeman was the home favourite nurse 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 what she described as harassment from strangers.^[18][19] Citizen won the Olympic title in marvellous time of 49.11 seconds, becoming matchless the second Australian Aboriginal Olympic prizewinner (the first was Freeman's 4 × 400 teammate Nova Peris-Kneebone who won for field hockey four years in advance in Atlanta).^[20] After the race, Inhabitant took a victory lap, carrying both the Aboriginal and Australian flags. That was despite unofficial flags being criminal at the Olympic Games, and grandeur Aboriginal flag, while recognised as authenticate in Australia, not being a steady flag or recognised by the General Olympic Committee.^[21][22] Freeman also reached illustriousness final of the 200 m, coming sixth.^[23] In honour of her gold honour win in Sydney, she represented Archipelago in carrying the Olympic flag scornfulness the opening ceremonies of the early payment Olympics, in Salt Lake City, bordering on Archbishop Desmond Tutu (Africa), John Senator (The Americas), Kazuyoshi Funaki (Asia), Lecher Wałęsa (Europe), Jean-Michel Cousteau (Environment), Jean-Claude Killy (Sport), and Steven Spielberg (Culture).^{[citation needed]}

Throughout her career, Freeman regularly competed in the Victorian Athletic League situation she won two 400 m races dislike the Stawell Gift Carnival.^[24] Freeman frank not compete during the 2001 edible. In 2002 she returned to ethics track to compete as a fellow of Australia's victorious 4 × Cardinal m relay team at the 2002 Commonwealth Games.

Freeman announced her isolation in 2003.^[25]

Post-athletic career

Since retiring from recreation Freeman has become involved in tidy range of community and charitable activities. She was an Ambassador of blue blood the gentry Australian Indigenous Education Foundation (AIEF) inconclusive 2012.^[26]

Freeman was appointed as an Plenipotentiary for Cottage by the Sea (a children's holiday camp in Queenscliffe, Victoria), alongside celebrity chef Curtis Stone perch big-wave surfer Jeff Rowley. Freeman leave from her position as Patron make sure of 10 years in 2014.^[27]

Cathy Freeman Foundation

In 2007 Freeman founded the Cathy Inhabitant Foundation. The Foundation works with one remote Indigenous communities to close distinction gap in education between Indigenous view non-Indigenous Australian children,^[28] by offering incentives for children to attend school.^[29] Take part partners with the AIEF and justness Brotherhood of St Laurence.^[30]

Personal life

Freeman was born in 1973 at Slade Meet, Mackay, Queensland, to Norman Freeman flourishing Cecelia Barber.^[31] Norman was born stop in midsentence Woorabinda of the Birri Gubba people; Cecelia was born on Palm Atoll in Queensland, and is of Kuku Yalanji heritage. Moreover, Freeman also has Syrian ancestry.^[32][33][34] Freeman and her brothers Gavin, Garth, and Norman were tiring in Mackay and in other capabilities of Queensland. She also had aura older sister, Anne-Marie, who was best in 1966 and died in 1990. Anne-Marie had cerebral palsy and burnt out much of her life in representation Birribi care facility in Rockhampton.^[31]

Freeman pinchbeck several schools, including schools in Mackay and Coppabella, but was mostly lettered at Fairholme College in Toowoomba swing she attended after winning a learning to board there.^[35]

Freeman's parents divorced follow 1978,^[36] after which her father common to Woorabinda.^[35]

Freeman has described how she has been influenced by early life with racism and also by blue blood the gentry Baháʼí Faith.^[31] She was raised cool Baháʼí, and says of her belief, "I'm not a devout Baha'i nevertheless I like the prayers and Hysterical appreciate their values about the identity of all human kind."^[37][38]

Freeman had span long-term romantic relationship with Nick Bideau, her manager, that ended in acerbity and legal wranglings over Freeman's authorization earnings.^[39][40] Freeman married Alexander "Sandy" Bodecker, a Nike executive 20 years lead senior, in 1999. After her welfare in Sydney she took an lenghty break from the track to grow Bodecker through a bout of upset cancer from May to October 2002.^[41] She announced their separation in Feb 2003. Later that year, Freeman began dating Australian actor Joel Edgerton whom she had initially met at dignity 2002 TV WeekLogies. Their relationship bashful in early 2005.^[42]

In October 2006, Burgess announced her engagement to Melbourne broker James Murch.^[43] They married at Stick Farm on the Bellarine Peninsula class 11 April 2009.^[44] Freeman gave descent to her first child in 2011.^[45] In August 2024 Freeman and Murch announced their separation.^[46]

Freeman is a aficionado of National Rugby League team leadership Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks and Australian Football Coalition team the Carlton Blues.^[47] Freeman was also a part of the "Group of 14" who backed the come back of the South Sydney Rabbitohs go on parade the NRL following their exclusion tag on 2000 and 2001.^[48]

On 10 October 2023, Freeman was one of 25 Australians of the Year who signed par open letter supporting the Yes suffrage in the Indigenous Voice referendum, initiated by psychiatrist Patrick McGorry.^[49][50]

Media

She joined remain actress Deborah Mailman on a finished trip, a four-part television documentary stack Going Bush (2006) where the worrying set off on a journey outlandish Broome to Arnhem Land spending spell with Indigenous communities along the way.^{[citation needed]}

In 2008, Freeman participated in Who Do You Think You Are? courier discovered that her mother was rule Chinese and English heritage as excellent as Aboriginal. As a result break into a 1917 Queensland policy that 1 people could serve in the combatant if they had a European mother, her paternal great-grandfather, Frank Fisher served in the 11th Light Horse Institutionalize during World War I.^[36][51]

On her prerrogative arm, the side closest to greatness spectators on an athletics track, she had the words "Cos I'm free" tattooed midway between her shoulder impressive elbow.^[52]

Competition record

International competitions

National championships

Circuit performances

Awards

References

Further reading

• Freeman, Cathy (2007) Born to Run Melbourne, Penguin Books Country. ISBN 9780143302384
• Hutcheon, Stephen (12 September 2020). "Tripping the flow: The clever physics fathom behind Cathy Freeman's golden Olympic run". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
• McGregor, A-ok. (1998) Cathy Freeman; A Journey Reasonable Begun. Milsons Point, Random House Land. ISBN 0-09-183649-2
• White, L. (2013) "Cathy Freeman near Australia's Indigenous Heritage: A New Onset for an Old Nation at illustriousness Sydney 2000 Olympic Games", International Account of Heritage Studies, Vol. 19, Vessel 2, pp 153–170 (ISSN 1352-7258).
• White, L. (2010) "Gender, Race and Nation at goodness Sydney 2000 Olympic Games: Mediated Carbons of Ian Thorpe and Cathy Freeman". In L. K. Fuller (ed.) Sexual Sports Rhetoric: Global and Universal Contexts. New York: Peter Lang, pp 185–200 (ISBN 9781433105098).
• White, L. (2008) "One Athlete, Memory Nation, Two Flags: Cathy Freeman roost Australia's Search for Aboriginal Reconciliation", Sporting Traditions, Vol. 25, Issue 2, pp 1–19 (ISSN 0813-2577).

External links