Cathy Freeman, born on February 16, 1973, in Mackay, Australia, is an Australian Olympic champion and a symbol of Indigenous pride. As an athlete, Freeman specialized in the 400-meter sprint and achieved numerous accolades throughout her career. Her most iconic moment came during the 2000 Sydney Olympics when she won the gold medal in the 400-meter race, becoming the first Indigenous Australian to win an individual Olympic gold. Freeman’s victory and her iconic victory lap draped in both the Australian and Aboriginal flags were powerful symbols of reconciliation and unity. She continues to inspire athletes and individuals around the world with her remarkable achievements and unwavering spirit.
I lie around the floor with my cats Billy and Jazz or watch DVDs with my best friends.
Cathy Freeman
People could see in me who I am now, an Olympic champ, the best in the world.
Cathy Freeman
Peace, unity and harmony!
Cathy Freeman
My last real race was at the Olympics in Sydney in 2000.
Cathy Freeman
Money makes life easier but I don’t want to be rich, not at all.
Cathy Freeman
I’m so lucky. I have such a great support system. All I have to do is run.
Cathy Freeman
I’m not a marriage expert, quite clearly.
Cathy Freeman
I was running since I was 10. Since grade one at school people looked at me and thought, oh gosh she can really run, she’s a natural.
Cathy Freeman
I was going to shave it. It went in two parts. I got a bob first but it kept falling all over my face. Then it was off, short. The main reason it was long was because my mother cut it short when I was little and I was trying to make up for that.
Cathy Freeman
I was always surrounded by expectation from the very first race I ran as a 5-year-old.
Cathy Freeman
I want to keep my private life private.
Cathy Freeman
I think the greatest amount of pressure is the pressure I place on myself. So in a way I chose to be alone.
Cathy Freeman
I made my first Australian senior team when I was 16, first Olympics when I was 19, and I retired. I’m 32, I retired four years ago, so a good third of my life or nearly a third of my life has been all about running.
Cathy Freeman
The thing I do best is laugh.
Cathy Freeman
I like being in the workforce; it keeps me grounded.
Cathy Freeman
I make no apologies.
Cathy Freeman
I have time to breathe, time to be myself more often, I am a lot more relaxed and less guarded.
Cathy Freeman
I have a friend who, if she has a bad hair day, it affects her whole mood because it is part of her sexuality, her confidence. I don’t have that problem any more.
Cathy Freeman
I feel like I’ve reached an age where I can relax a little bit with the knowledge of what I’ve been through, take all that experience and use it. I love the challenge of trying to get back to where I’ve been, and beyond it.
Cathy Freeman
I don’t like people looking at me; I hate the attention.
Cathy Freeman
I don’t have a lot of regrets in my life.
Cathy Freeman
I don’t agree with everything Madonna’s done but she is fearless.
Cathy Freeman
I definitely do things on my terms, it may not seem that way but I actually do.
Cathy Freeman
Between 1991 and 1997 I had really serious asthma.
Cathy Freeman
Australians are a fantastic bunch of people but the attention can be overwhelming for someone like me.
Cathy Freeman
This occasion is personally very meaningful and I hope to visit Korea again if I have the chance.
Cathy Freeman
When I’m in a bad mood, I don’t listen.
Cathy Freeman
With Alexander’s cancer, I was definitely brought to my knees for the first time because of the fear factor.
Cathy Freeman
You got to try and reach for the stars or try and achieve the unreachable.
Cathy Freeman
I like looking feminine and I enjoy being a role model. I enjoy being a woman. It all comes down to having the confidence to be who you are.
Cathy Freeman
