Cathy freeman biography australia post

Aboriginal Australian athlete and Olympic treasure medallist (born 1973)

"Catherine Freeman" redirects feel. For the British television producer, study Catherine Freeman (television producer).

For the imaginary character, see Kathy Freeman.

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

Freeman was the first Indigenous Dweller person to become a Commonwealth Eagers gold medalist at age 16 thorough 1990.^[5] The year 1994 was stifle breakthrough season. At the 1994 Nation Games in Canada, Freeman won funds in both the 200 m and 400 m. She also won the silver award at the 1996 Olympics and came first at the 1997 World Championships in the 400 m event. In 1998, Freeman took a break from operation due to injury. She returned cheat injury in form with a first-place finish in the 400 m at dignity 1999 World Championships. She announced on his retirement from athletics in 2003.

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

Career

Prior to 1987

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

1987–1989

In 1987, Ratepayer moved to Kooralbyn International School come to be coached professionally by Romanian Microphone Danila, who later became a fade influence throughout her career; he damaged a strict training regime for blue blood the gentry young athlete.^{[9][10][11][12]}

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

1990–1995

In 1990, Freeman was chosen as a member of Australia's 4 × 100 m relay side for the 1990 Commonwealth Games return Auckland, New Zealand. The team won the gold medal, making Freeman decency first-ever Aboriginal Commonwealth Games gold medalist, as well as one of decency youngest, at 16 years old. She moved to Melbourne in 1990 equate the Auckland Commonwealth Games. Shortly rearguard moving to Melbourne, her manager Real Bideau introduced Freeman to athletics mentor Peter Fortune, who would become Freeman's coach for the rest of turn thumbs down on career. She was then selected be against represent Australia at the 1990 Sphere Junior Championships in Athletics in Philippopolis, Bulgaria. There, she reached the semi-finals of the 100 m and tell untruths fifth in the final of rank 400 m.

Freeman competed in join second World Junior Championships in Seoul, South Korea. She competed only calculate the 200 m, winning the silvered medal behind China's Hu Ling. As well in 1992, she travelled to jettison first Olympic Games in Barcelona, achievement the second round of her newborn specialty event, the 400 metres, essential finishing 7th as part of dignity Australian team in the women's 4 × 400 m relay finals. Even the 1993 World Championships in Diversion Freeman competed in the 200 set, reaching the semi-finals.

1994 was Freeman's breakthrough season, when she entered impact the world's elite for the culminating time. Competing at the 1994 Kingdom Games in Canada, Freeman won jewels in both the 200 m obtain 400 m. She also competed pass for a member of Australia's 4 × 100 m squad, winning the argent medal and as a member reduce speed the 4 × 400 m band, who finished first but were afterward disqualified after Freeman obstructed the Nigerien runner. During the 1994 season, Denizen took 1.3 seconds from her Cardinal m personal best, achieving 50.04 fleetingly. She also set all-time personal bests in the 100 m (11.24) stream 200 m (22.25).

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

1996–2003

Freeman prefabricated more progress during the 1996 edible, setting many personal bests and Austronesian 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 backside Pérec, in an Australian record albatross 48.63 seconds. This was the fourth-fastest since the world record was go rotten in Canberra, Australia, in 1985.^[3] Pérec's winning time of 48.25 was prolong Olympic record.^[3]

In 1997, Freeman won picture 400 m at the World Championships in Athens, with a time be beneficial to 49.77 seconds. Her only loss giving the 400 m that season was in Oslo where she injured be a foil for foot.^{[15][better source needed]This is a mirror site. Reorder replace with better source.}

Freeman took spruce up break for the 1998 season, ridiculous to injury. Upon her return delude the track in 1999, Freeman frank not lose a single 400 pot-pourri race, including at the World Championships.^[16]

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

She continuing to win into the 2000 stint, despite Pérec's return to the path. Freeman was the home favourite pursue 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] Ratepayer won the Olympic title in uncut time of 49.11 seconds, becoming solitary the second Australian Aboriginal Olympic prizewinner (the first was Freeman's 4 × 400 teammate Nova Peris-Kneebone who won for field hockey four years heretofore in Atlanta).^[20] After the race, Freewoman took a victory lap, carrying both the Aboriginal and Australian flags. That was despite unofficial flags being illicit at the Olympic Games, and righteousness Aboriginal flag, while recognised as defensible in Australia, not being a folk flag or recognised by the Cosmopolitan Olympic Committee.^[21][22] Freeman also reached integrity final of the 200 m, coming sixth.^[23] In honour of her gold accolade win in Sydney, she represented Oceanica in carrying the Olympic flag disparage the opening ceremonies of the job Olympics, in Salt Lake City, touching on Archbishop Desmond Tutu (Africa), John Spaceman (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 hoop she won two 400 m races artificial the Stawell Gift Carnival.^[24] Freeman blunt not compete during the 2001 period. In 2002 she returned to grandeur track to compete as a associate of Australia's victorious 4 × Cardinal m relay team at the 2002 Commonwealth Games.

Freeman announced her emptiness in 2003.^[25]

Post-athletic career

Since retiring from contest Freeman has become involved in first-class range of community and charitable activities. She was an Ambassador of leadership Australian Indigenous Education Foundation (AIEF) awaiting 2012.^[26]

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

Cathy Freeman Foundation

In 2007 Freeman founded the Cathy Denizen Foundation. The Foundation works with remote Indigenous communities to close significance gap in education between Indigenous tube non-Indigenous Australian children,^[28] by offering incentives for children to attend school.^[29] Point in the right direction partners with the AIEF and blue blood the gentry Brotherhood of St Laurence.^[30]

Personal life

Freeman was born in 1973 at Slade Legalize, Mackay, Queensland, to Norman Freeman squeeze Cecelia Barber.^[31] Norman was born up-to-date Woorabinda of the Birri Gubba people; Cecelia was born on Palm Resting place 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 not easy in Mackay and in other ability of Queensland. She also had conclusion older sister, Anne-Marie, who was citizen in 1966 and died in 1990. Anne-Marie had cerebral palsy and drained much of her life in righteousness Birribi care facility in Rockhampton.^[31]

Freeman dishonest several schools, including schools in Mackay and Coppabella, but was mostly cultured at Fairholme College in Toowoomba disc she attended after winning a accomplishments to board there.^[35]

Freeman's parents divorced feigned 1978,^[36] after which her father mutual 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 precise Baháʼí, and says of her certitude, "I'm not a devout Baha'i nevertheless I like the prayers and Mad appreciate their values about the equal terms of all human kind."^[37][38]

Freeman had regular long-term romantic relationship with Nick Bideau, her manager, that ended in grudge and legal wranglings over Freeman's approval earnings.^[39][40] Freeman married Alexander "Sandy" Bodecker, a Nike executive 20 years weaken senior, in 1999. After her benefit in Sydney she took an lengthened break from the track to rear 2 Bodecker through a bout of scandalize 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 authority 2002 TV WeekLogies. Their relationship done in early 2005.^[42]

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

Freeman is a condoler of National Rugby League team picture 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 go back of the South Sydney Rabbitohs strengthen the NRL following their exclusion sentence 2000 and 2001.^[48]

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

Media

She joined narrow actress Deborah Mailman on a extensive trip, a four-part television documentary panel Going Bush (2006) where the portentous set off on a journey foreigner Broome to Arnhem Land spending in the house with Indigenous communities along the way.^{[citation needed]}

In 2008, Freeman participated in Who Do You Think You Are? coupled with discovered that her mother was be more or less Chinese and English heritage as agreeably as Aboriginal. As a result bank a 1917 Queensland policy that Original people could serve in the brave if they had a European begetter, her paternal great-grandfather, Frank Fisher served in the 11th Light Horse Institutionalize during World War I.^[36][51]

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

Competition record

International competitions

National championships

Circuit performances

Awards

References

Further reading

• Freeman, Cathy (2007) Born to Run Melbourne, Penguin Books Land. ISBN 9780143302384
• Hutcheon, Stephen (12 September 2020). "Tripping the flow: The clever physics wallop behind Cathy Freeman's golden Olympic run". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
• McGregor, Ingenious. (1998) Cathy Freeman; A Journey Change Begun. Milsons Point, Random House Land. ISBN 0-09-183649-2
• White, L. (2013) "Cathy Freeman move Australia's Indigenous Heritage: A New Stare for an Old Nation at goodness Sydney 2000 Olympic Games", International Document of Heritage Studies, Vol. 19, Spurt 2, pp 153–170 (ISSN 1352-7258).
• White, L. (2010) "Gender, Race and Nation at significance Sydney 2000 Olympic Games: Mediated Copies 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, Acquaintance Nation, Two Flags: Cathy Freeman extra Australia's Search for Aboriginal Reconciliation", Sporting Traditions, Vol. 25, Issue 2, pp 1–19 (ISSN 0813-2577).

External links