Who is Cathy Freeman?
Cathy Freeman is an Australian sprinter who won the 400 metres gold medal at the Sydney 2000 Olympics. A proud Kuku Yalanji and Birri Gubba woman, she also lit the Olympic cauldron at the opening ceremony.
Freeman was born in Mackay, Queensland, in 1973. She showed talent as a young runner and won gold in the 4x100 metres relay at the 1990 Commonwealth Games, becoming the first Aboriginal athlete to win a Commonwealth Games gold.
At the 1994 Commonwealth Games, she won the 200 and 400 metres and carried both the Aboriginal flag and the Australian flag on her victory lap, sparking debate.
Sydney 2000
Freeman won the 400 metres at the World Championships in 1997 and 1999. At the Sydney 2000 Olympics, she won the 400 metres in front of a crowd of more than 110,000 people, wearing a full-body suit.
The race was one of the most famous moments in Australian sport. She again carried both flags in her victory lap.
Freeman was named Australian of the Year in 1998. After retiring, she founded the Cathy Freeman Foundation, which supports education for Indigenous children.