View source for Cathy Freeman

{{Short description|Aboriginal Australian athlete and Olympic gold medallist (born 1973)}}
{{redirect|Catherine Freeman|the British television producer|Catherine Freeman (television producer)}}
{{for|the fictional character|Kathy Freeman}}
{{Use Australian English|date=June 2012}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2022}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| name = Cathy Freeman
| image = Cathy Freeman (cropped).jpg
| image_size = 
| alt = 
| honorific_suffix = {{Post-nominals|size=100|country=AUS|OAM}}
| caption = Freeman in 2008
| headercolor = purple
| native_name = 
| native_name_lang = 
| birth_name = 
| fullname = Catherine Astrid Salome Freeman
| citizenship = 
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=y|1973|2|16}}
| birth_place = [[Mackay, Queensland]], Australia
| resting_place = 
| monuments = 
| residence = 
| education = Kooralbyn International school <br /> Fairholme College
| alma_mater = [[University of Melbourne]]
| occupation = Australian sprinter/runner
| years_active = 
| employer = 
| agent children = 
| height = {{convert|164|cm|ftin|abbr=on}}
| weight = {{convert|56|kg|stlb lb|abbr=on}}<ref>{{cite web|title=Cathy Freeman|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/fr/cathy-freeman-1.html|work=sports-reference.com|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|access-date=20 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081204065715/http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/fr/cathy-freeman-1.html|archive-date=4 December 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| spouse = {{marriage|Sandy Bodecker|1999|2003|end=div}} {{marriage|James Murch|2009|2024|end=sep}}
| life_partner = 
| other_interests = 
| website = <!-- {{URL|www.example.com}} -->
| country = Australia
| sport = Sprint
| disability = 
| disability_class = 
| rank = 
| event = 
| collegeteam = 
| universityteam = University of Melbourne
| league = 
| league_type = 
| club = 
| team = 
| turnedpro = 
| partner = 
| former_partner = 
| retired = 1 July 2003
| coach = Step-father Bruce Barber, Mike Danila, Peter Fortune
| worlds = 
| regionals = 
| nationals = 
| olympics = 
| paralympics = 
| highestranking = 
| pb = 
| medaltemplates = {{Medal|Sport | Women's [[athletics (sport)|athletics]]}}
{{Medal|Country | {{AUS}}}}
{{Medal|Competition|[[Olympic Games]]}}
{{Medal|Gold |[[2000 Summer Olympics|2000 Sydney]] | [[Athletics at the 2000 Summer Olympics – Women's 400 metres|400 m]]}}
{{Medal|Silver |[[1996 Olympics|1996 Atlanta]] | [[Athletics at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Women's 400 metres|400 m]]}}
{{Medal|Competition|[[IAAF World Championships in Athletics|World Championships]]}}
{{Medal|Gold |[[1997 World Championships in Athletics|1997 Athens]]| [[1997 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 400 metres|400 m]]}}
{{Medal|Gold |[[1999 World Championships in Athletics|1999 Seville]]| [[1999 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 400 metres|400 m]]}}
{{Medal|Bronze |[[1995 World Championships in Athletics|1995 Gothenburg]]| [[1995 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 4 × 400 metres relay|4 × 400 m relay]]}}
{{Medal|Competition|[[Commonwealth Games]]}}
{{Medal|Gold |[[1990 Commonwealth Games|1990 Auckland]]| [[Athletics at the 1990 Commonwealth Games – Women's 4 × 100 metres relay|4 × 100 m]]}}
{{Medal|Gold |[[1994 Commonwealth Games|1994 Victoria]]| [[Athletics at the 1994 Commonwealth Games|200 m]]}}
{{Medal|Gold |[[1994 Commonwealth Games|1994 Victoria]]| [[Athletics at the 1994 Commonwealth Games|400 m]]}}
{{Medal|Gold |[[2002 Commonwealth Games|2002 Manchester]]| [[Athletics at the 2002 Commonwealth Games – Women's 4 × 400 metres relay|4 × 400 m]]}}
{{Medal|Silver |[[1994 Commonwealth Games|1994 Victoria]]| [[Athletics at the 1994 Commonwealth Games|4 × 100 m]]}}
}}

'''Catherine Astrid Salome Freeman''' {{Post-nominals|country=AUS|OAM}} (born 16 February 1973) is an [[Australian people|Australian]] former [[Athletics (sport)|sprinter]], who specialised in the [[400 metres]] event.<ref>{{cite web|date=2021-07-08|title=Cathy Freeman: Running for her people|url=https://www.worldathletics.org/heritage/news/cathy-freeman-olympic-champion-comic-feature|url-status=live|access-date=2021-07-08|website=[[World Athletics]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210708103803/https://www.worldathletics.org/heritage/news/cathy-freeman-olympic-champion-comic-feature |archive-date=8 July 2021 }}</ref> Her personal best of 48.63 seconds currently ranks her as the [[400 metres#All-time top 25 women|11th-fastest woman of all time]], set while finishing second to [[Marie-José Pérec]]'s number-six time at the [[1996 Summer Olympics|1996 Olympics]].<ref name = WorldAthletics>{{cite web|title=Senior Outdoor 400 Metres Women|url=https://www.worldathletics.org/records/all-time-toplists/sprints/400-metres/outdoor/women/senior|url-status=live|access-date=2021-08-15|website=[[World Athletics]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191112235831/https://www.worldathletics.org/records/all-time-toplists/sprints/400-metres/outdoor/women/senior |archive-date=12 November 2019 }}</ref> She became the Olympic champion for the women's 400&nbsp;metres at the [[2000 Summer Olympics]], at which she had lit the [[Olympic Flame]].<ref>[http://torchrelay.beijing2008.cn/en/archives/modern/2000/headlines/n214035952.shtml TorchRelay – Photos: Cathy Freeman lights the Olympic Flame] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081113115048/http://torchrelay.beijing2008.cn/en/archives/modern/2000/headlines/n214035952.shtml |date=13 November 2008 }}. The Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad.</ref>

Freeman was the first female [[Indigenous Australian]] to become a Commonwealth Games [[gold medal|gold meda]]list at age 16 in 1990.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2012/jan/11/olympic-moments-cathy-freeman |title=50 stunning Olympic moments No9: Cathy Freeman wins gold for Australia |date=11 January 2012 |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |author=John Ashdown}}</ref> The year 1994 was her breakthrough season. At the [[1994 Commonwealth Games]] in Canada, Freeman won gold in both the [[200 metres|200&nbsp;m]] and 400&nbsp;m. She also won the [[silver medal]] at the 1996 Olympics and came first at the [[1997 World Championships in Athletics|1997 World Championships]] in the 400&nbsp;m event. In 1998, Freeman took a break from running due to injury. She returned from injury in form with a first-place finish in the 400&nbsp;m at the [[1999 World Championships in Athletics|1999 World Championships]]. She announced her retirement from athletics in 2003.

In 2007, she founded the Cathy Freeman Foundation, which changed names twice (to Community Spirit Foundation<ref>{{Cite web |title=Our Story |url=https://www.communityspiritfoundation.org.au/our-story-1 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230325060740/https://www.communityspiritfoundation.org.au/our-story-1 |archive-date=2023-03-25 |access-date=2023-05-26 |website=Community Spirit Foundation |language=en}}</ref> and later to Murrup<ref>{{Cite web |title=Murrup {{!}} Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation I home |url=https://www.murrup.org.au/ |access-date=2024-07-25 |website=Murrup |language=en}}</ref>). She is of the Kuku-yalanji and Birri-gubba peoples.<ref>{{cite web|author=Australian Overseas Information Service|title=Olympic athlete Cathy Freeman|url=https://www.naa.gov.au/students-and-teachers/learning-resources/learning-resource-themes/society-and-culture/sport-and-recreation/olympic-athlete-cathy-freeman#:~:text=As%20a%20woman%20of%20the%20Kuku-yalanji%20and%20Birri-gubba,expressed%20her%20pride%20in%20being%20an%20Indigenous%20Australian|website=National Archives of Australia|date=1993|access-date=6 October 2024}}</ref>

==Career==
===Prior to 1987===
Cathy Freeman was successful in school athletics events. After 1987, she was coached by her stepfather, Bruce Barber, to various regional and national titles.<ref name=Page50>{{cite web
|url=http://www.holidayhunter.com.au/indigenous/page50.html
|title=Cathy Freeman, Athlete}}</ref>

===1987–1989===
In 1987, Freeman moved to [[Kooralbyn International School]] to be coached professionally by Romanian Mike Danila, who later became a key influence throughout her career; he provided a strict training regime for the young athlete.<ref name=Page50/><ref>[http://living.oneindia.in/celebrity/sports/kathy-freeman-profile-olympic-games.html Cathy Freeman: The athletic proud of Australia] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090227084428/http://living.oneindia.in/celebrity/sports/kathy-freeman-profile-olympic-games.html |date=27 February 2009 }}</ref><ref name="telegraph">{{cite news |newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/athletics/2996526/Athletics-Making-of-a-legend.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/athletics/2996526/Athletics-Making-of-a-legend.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live
|title=Athletics: Making of a legend |author=Sebastian Coe |author-link=Sebastian Coe |date=14 January 2001 |access-date=21 April 2008| location=London}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref name="news">{{cite web |author=Eamonn Condon |url=http://www.mail-archive.com/t-and-f@lists.uoregon.edu/msg10373.html
|title=Freeman, still on the top of the world |work=[[The Electronic Telegraph]] |date=27 May 2001 |access-date=10 March 2008}}</ref>

In 1988, she was awarded a scholarship to an exclusive girls' school, [[Fairholme College]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://aiatsis.gov.au/explore/articles/cathy-freeman |title=Cathy Freeman
|date=3 June 2015 |website=aiatsis.gov.au |access-date=27 March 2018}}</ref> in [[Toowoomba]]. In a competition in 1989, Freeman ran 11.67 s in the 100 metres and Danila began to think about entering her in the Commonwealth Games Trials in Sydney.<ref name=Page50/>

===1990–1995===
{{Unsourced-section|date=June 2025}}
In 1990, Freeman was chosen as a member of Australia's [[4 × 100 metres relay|4 × 100 m relay]] team for the [[1990 Commonwealth Games]] in [[Auckland]], New Zealand. The team won the gold medal, making Freeman the first-ever [[Aboriginal Australians|Aboriginal]] Commonwealth Games gold medallist, as well as one of the youngest, at 16 years old. She moved to Melbourne in 1990 after the Auckland Commonwealth Games. Shortly after moving to Melbourne, her manager Nic Bideau introduced Freeman to athletics coach Peter Fortune, who would become Freeman's coach for the rest of her career. She was then selected to represent Australia at the [[1990 World Junior Championships in Athletics]] in [[Plovdiv]], Bulgaria. There, she reached the semi-finals of the 100 m and placed fifth in the final of the 200 m.

Freeman competed in her second [[1992 World Junior Championships in Athletics|World Junior Championships]] in [[Seoul]], South Korea. She competed only in the 200 m, winning the silver medal behind China's Hu Ling. Also in 1992, she travelled to her [[1992 Summer Olympics|first Olympic Games]] in [[Barcelona]], reaching the second round of her new specialty event, the [[400 metres]], and finishing 7th as part of the Australian team in the women's [[4 × 400 metres relay|{{nowrap|4 × 400 m}} relay]] finals. At the [[1993 World Championships in Athletics]] Freeman competed in the 200 m, reaching the semi-finals.

1994 was Freeman's breakthrough season, when she entered into the world's elite for the first time. Competing at the [[1994 Commonwealth Games]] in Canada, Freeman won gold in both the 200 m and 400 m. She also competed as a member of Australia's 4 × 100 m squad, winning the silver medal and as a member of the 4 × 400 m team, who finished first but were later disqualified after Freeman obstructed the Nigerian runner. During the 1994 season, Freeman took 1.3 seconds from her 400 m personal best, achieving 50.04 seconds. She also set all-time personal bests in the 100 m (11.24) and 200 m (22.25).

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

===1996–2003===
Freeman made more progress during the 1996 season, setting many personal bests and Australian records. By this stage, she was the biggest challenger to [[France]]'s [[Marie-José Pérec]] at the [[1996 Summer Olympic Games|1996 Olympics]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sportbible.com/australia/news-the-top-10-greatest-olympic-moments-of-all-time-20210721|title = The Top 10 Greatest Olympic Moments of All-Time| date=21 July 2021 }}</ref> She eventually took the silver medal behind Pérec, in an Australian record of 48.63 seconds. This was the fourth-fastest since the world record was set in [[Canberra]], Australia, in 1985.<ref name =WorldAthletics /> Pérec's winning time of 48.25 was an [[List of Olympic records in athletics|Olympic record]].<ref name =WorldAthletics />

In 1997, Freeman won the 400 m at the [[1997 World Championships in Athletics|World Championships]] in Athens, with a time of 49.77 seconds. Her only loss in the 400 m that season was in [[Oslo]] where she injured her foot.{{Citation needed|date=July 2025}}

Freeman took a break for the 1998 season, due to injury. Upon her return to the track in 1999, Freeman did not lose a single 400 m race, including at the [[1999 World Championships in Athletics|World Championships]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sporting-heroes.net/athletics/australia/cathy-freeman-274/defends-world-championship-400m-crown-in-seville_a08106/|title=Cathy FREEMAN – Australia – Defends World Championship 400m crown in Seville|website=sporting-heroes.net|access-date=1 August 2021}}</ref>

Freeman also lit the torch in the [[2000 Summer Olympics|2000 Olympic Games]] in Sydney.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.civicsandcitizenship.edu.au/cce/freeman_cathy,15499.html|title=Cathy Freeman|date=14 June 2005|access-date=20 July 2020|archive-date=19 December 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221219090123/https://www.civicsandcitizenship.edu.au/cce/freeman_cathy,15499.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>
[[File:Cathy Freeman 2000 olympics.jpg|thumb|Freeman preparing to race in the Olympic 400&nbsp;m final, Sydney 2000.]]

She continued to win into the 2000 season, despite Pérec's return to the track. Freeman was the home favourite for the 400&nbsp;m title at the [[2000 Summer Olympics|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.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/olympics2000/athletics-track/934839.stm|title=Perec out of Olympics|publisher=BBC Sport|date=22 September 2000}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=SYDNEY 2000; Perec Says Fear Overwhelmed Her|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/09/29/sports/sydney-2000-perec-says-fear-overwhelmed-her.html|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=29 September 2000|url-access=registration}}</ref> Freeman won the Olympic title in a time of 49.11 seconds, becoming only the second Australian Aboriginal Olympic champion (the first was Freeman's {{Nowrap|4 × 400}} teammate [[Nova Peris|Nova Peris-Kneebone]] who won for [[Field hockey at the 1996 Summer Olympics|field hockey four years earlier]] in Atlanta).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.womenaustralia.info/biogs/AWE2289b.htm|title=Peris, Nova Maree – Woman – The Australian Women's Register|first=National Foundation for Australian Women and The University of|last=Melbourne|website=womenaustralia.info|access-date=27 March 2018}}</ref> After the race, Freeman took a victory lap, carrying both the [[Australian Aboriginal Flag|Aboriginal]] and [[Flag of Australia|Australian flags]]. This was despite unofficial flags being banned at the Olympic Games, and the Aboriginal flag, while recognised as official in Australia, not being a [[national flag]] or recognised by the [[International Olympic Committee]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Indigenous leaders want officials to drop ban on flags|url=http://www.theage.com.au/olympics/off-the-field/indigenous-leaders-want-officials-to-drop-ban-on-flags-20120731-23d74.html|access-date=2 May 2013|newspaper=The Age|date=1 August 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Olympic flags rule sparks anger|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/7542761.stm|access-date=2 May 2013|publisher=[[BBC News]] |date=5 August 2008}}</ref> Freeman also reached the final of the 200&nbsp;m, coming sixth.<ref>[[David Wallechinsky|Wallechinsky, David]]; Loucky, Jaime. ''The Complete Book of the Olympics''. [[Aurum Press]], 2008, p. 300.</ref> In honour of her gold medal win in Sydney, she represented Oceania in carrying the Olympic flag at the opening ceremonies of the [[2002 Winter Olympics|next Olympics]], in [[Salt Lake City]], joining Archbishop [[Desmond Tutu]] (Africa), [[John Glenn]] (The Americas), [[Kazuyoshi Funaki]] (Asia), [[Lech Wałęsa]] (Europe), [[Jean-Michel Cousteau]] (Environment), [[Jean-Claude Killy]] (Sport), and [[Steven Spielberg]] (Culture).{{Citation needed|date=July 2010}}

Throughout her career, Freeman regularly competed in the [[Victorian Athletic League]] where she won two 400&nbsp;m races at the [[Stawell Gift]] Carnival.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stawellgift.com/hall-of-fame/did-you-know/|title=Top Ten Trivia – Stawell Gift|website=stawellgift.com|access-date=27 March 2018}}</ref>
Freeman did not compete during the 2001 season. In 2002 she returned to the track to compete as a member of Australia's victorious {{Nowrap|4 × 400 m}} relay team at the [[2002 Commonwealth Games]].

Freeman announced her retirement in 2003.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/07/16/1058035019872.html|title=Cathy Freeman retires|last=Johnson|first=Len|date=16 July 2003|work=[[The Age]]|access-date=4 January 2010 | location=Melbourne}}</ref>

==Post-athletic career==
Since retiring from athletics Freeman has become involved in a range of community and charitable activities. She was an Ambassador of the [[Australian Indigenous Education Foundation]] (AIEF) until 2012.<ref>[http://www.aief.com.au Australian Indigenous Education Foundation]. Retrieved 16 July 2011.</ref>

Freeman was appointed as an Ambassador for Cottage by the Sea (a children's holiday camp in Queenscliffe, Victoria), alongside celebrity chef [[Curtis Stone]] and big-wave surfer [[Jeff Rowley]]. Freeman retired from her position as Patron after 10 years in 2014.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://cottagebythesea.com.au/patron/ |title=Patron - |access-date=23 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120920022758/http://www.cottagebythesea.com.au/patron/ |archive-date=20 September 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Cathy Freeman Foundation===
In 2007 Freeman founded the Cathy Freeman Foundation. The Foundation works with four remote Indigenous communities to close the gap in education between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australian children,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cathyfreemanfoundation.org.au/|title=Cathy Freeman Foundation – home|website=Cathy Freeman Foundation – home|access-date=27 March 2018}}</ref> by offering incentives for children to attend school.<ref>{{cite news|title=Cathy Freeman on finding meaning and success in life after sport|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-06-08/cathy-freeman-on-finding-meaning-and-success-in-life-after-sport/8600550|access-date=8 June 2017|work=ABC News|date=8 June 2017|language=en-AU}}</ref> It partners with the AIEF and the [[Brotherhood of St Laurence]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bennelongfoundation.com/post/the-cathy-freeman-foundation-closing-the-education-gap|website=Bennelong Foundation|date=1 July 2014|first=Sandra|last=Jacobs|title=The Cathy Freeman Foundation – closing the education gap}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Freeman was born in 1973 at Slade Point, [[Mackay, Queensland|Mackay]], [[Queensland]], to Norman Freeman and Cecelia Barber.<ref name=messagestick/> Norman was born in [[Woorabinda]] of the [[Birri Gubba]] people; Cecelia was born on [[Great Palm Island|Palm Island]] in Queensland, and is of [[Kuku Yalanji]] heritage. Moreover, Freeman also has [[Syrians|Syrian]] ancestry.<ref>{{cite web | title=Cathy Freeman OAM, b. 1973 | website=National Portrait Gallery people | date=18 March 2020 | url=http://www.portrait.gov.au/people/cathy-freeman-1973/ | access-date=17 September 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Aiton |first=Jessie |date=2022 |title=Meandering through the Windsor Hotel when I encountered a memorable culture clash: Doug Aiton reflects on his interview with Cathy Freeman |url=https://radioinfo.com.au/news/meandering-through-the-windsor-hotel-when-i-encountered-a-memorable-culture-clash-doug-aiton-reflects-on-his-interview-with-cathy-freeman/}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2000-09-19 |title=Face of the new, multicultural Australia |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/face-of-the-new-multicultural-australia/L6LBLR6XCXQ2PFM6SEBNRA7TL4/ |access-date=2024-08-20 |website=[[The New Zealand Herald]] |language=en-NZ}}</ref> Freeman and her brothers Gavin, Garth, and Norman were raised in Mackay and in other parts of Queensland. She also had an older sister, Anne-Marie, who was born in 1966 and died in 1990. Anne-Marie had [[cerebral palsy]] and spent much of her life in the Birribi care facility in [[Rockhampton]].<ref name=messagestick>[http://www.abc.net.au/tv/messagestick/stories/s1584631.htm Cos I'm Free (AKA Cathy Freeman)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140113205749/http://www.abc.net.au/tv/messagestick/stories/s1584631.htm |date=13 January 2014 }}, Transcript, ''[[Message Stick]]'', [[ABC Television (Australian TV network)|ABC Television]], 11 March 2006.</ref>

Freeman attended several schools, including schools in Mackay and Coppabella, but was mostly educated at [[Fairholme College]] in [[Toowoomba]] where she attended after winning a scholarship to board there.<ref name=anu>[http://ia.anu.edu.au/biography/freeman-catherine-cathy-15410 Indigenous Australia: Catherine (Cathy) Freeman], National Centre of Biography, [[Australian National University]] website. Retrieved 7 August 2017</ref>

Freeman's parents divorced in 1978,<ref name="SBS1"/> after which her father returned to Woorabinda.<ref name=anu/>

Freeman has described how she has been influenced by early experiences with racism and also by the [[Baháʼí Faith]].<ref name=messagestick/> She was raised a [[Catholic]], and says of her faith, "I'm not a devout Catholic but I like the prayers and I appreciate their values about the equality of all human kind."<ref>[http://www.theage.com.au/news/tv--radio/the-love-and-pain-that-inspire-cathy/2006/03/08/1141701518668.html?page=fullpage The love and pain that inspire Cathy, Top athlete may journey from the winner's podium to the Academy Awards] by Michael Dwyer, ''The Age'', 9 March 2006.</ref><ref>[http://www.penguin.com.au/lookinside/spotlight.cfm?SBN=9780143302384&page=extract Born to Run (extract)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070919011834/http://penguin.com.au/lookinside/spotlight.cfm?SBN=9780143302384&page=extract |date=19 September 2007 }} Chapter 1 ''Running Free'', [[Penguin Group]] (Australia)</ref>

Freeman had a long-term romantic relationship with Nick Bideau, her manager, that ended in acrimony and legal wranglings over Freeman's endorsement earnings.<ref>[[Raelene Boyle]] (22 March 2006) [http://smh.com.au/news/commentary/mottrams-manipulator/2006/03/21/1142703363720.html " Bideau's methods are make or break"]. ''[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]''</ref><ref>Brendan Gallagher (24 June 2004). [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/columnists/brendangallagher/2381672/Cathy-Freeman-tells-her-story.html Cathy Freeman tells her story]. The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group.</ref> Freeman married Alexander "Sandy" Bodecker, a [[Nike, Inc.|Nike]] executive 20 years her senior, in 1999. After her success in Sydney she took an extended break from the track to nurse Bodecker through a bout of throat cancer from May to October 2002.<ref>Jacquelin Magnay (8 November 2002) [http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/11/07/1036308423573.html "Sandy beats cancer"], ''[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]''.</ref> She announced their separation in February 2003. Later that year, Freeman began dating Australian actor [[Joel Edgerton]] whom she had initially met at the 2002 ''[[TV Week]]'' [[Logies]]. Their relationship ended in early 2005.<ref>[http://www.theage.com.au/news/People/Cathy-and-Joel-split/2005/01/21/1106110917670.html "Cathy and Joel split"], ''The Age'', 21 January 2005.</ref>

In October 2006, Freeman announced her engagement to Melbourne stockbroker James Murch.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,20567247-421,00.html |title=Cathy Freeman to wed again |last=Sheahan |first=Kate |author2=Gullan, Scott |date=12 October 2006 |work=[[news.com.au]] |access-date=22 July 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080915112736/http://www.news.com.au/story/0%2C23599%2C20567247-421%2C00.html |archive-date=15 September 2008 }}</ref> They married at Spray Farm on the [[Bellarine Peninsula]] on 11 April 2009.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.smh.com.au/national/sprinter-freeman-walks-down-the-aisle-20090412-a3pk.html|title=Sprinter Freeman walks down the aisle|date=12 April 2009|work=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]|access-date=12 April 2009}}</ref> Freeman gave birth to her first child in 2011.<ref>[http://www.theage.com.au/lifestyle/people/cathy-freeman-gives-birth-20110708-1h6ig.html "Cathy Freeman gives birth"], ''[[The Age]]'', 8 July 2011.</ref> In August 2024 Freeman and Murch announced their separation.<ref>{{cite web |title=Olympic legend Cathy Freeman and husband James Murch announce separation after 15 years of marriage |url=https://www.news.com.au/sport/sports-life/champions/olympic-legend-cathy-freeman-and-husband-james-murch-announce-separation-after-15-years-of-marriage/news-story/8ef37020a3c285c48d30b0dc2a45e93a |website=[[News.com.au]] |date=16 August 2024}}</ref>

Freeman is a supporter of [[National Rugby League]] team the [[Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks]] and [[Australian Football League]] team the [[Carlton Football Club|Carlton Blues]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2005-03-01 |title=Olympic hero Freeman now a Shark |url=https://www.smh.com.au/sport/olympic-hero-freeman-now-a-shark-20050302-gdku5p.html |access-date=2023-10-07 |website=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |language=en}}</ref> Freeman was also a part of the "Group of 14" who backed the return of the [[South Sydney Rabbitohs]] to the NRL following their exclusion in 2000 and 2001.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Carayannis |first=Michael |date=2014-10-06 |title=Cathy Freeman a secret weapon behind South Sydney Rabbitohs' grand final success |url=https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/cathy-freeman-a-secret-weapon-behind-south-sydney-rabbitohs-grand-final-success-20141006-10qx8r.html |access-date=2023-10-07 |website=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |language=en}}</ref>

On 10 October 2023, Freeman was one of 25 [[Australians of the Year]] who signed an [[open letter]] supporting the Yes vote in the [[2023 Australian Indigenous Voice referendum|Indigenous Voice referendum]], initiated by psychiatrist [[Patrick McGorry]].<ref>{{cite web | last=Butler | first=Josh | title=Australian of the Year winners sign open letter saying no vote in voice referendum would be a 'shameful dead end' | website=[[The Guardian]] | date=11 October 2023 | url=https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/oct/11/indigenous-voice-to-parliament-referendum-australians-of-the-year-open-letter | access-date=11 October 2023}}</ref><ref name=letter>{{cite web | last=Winter | first=Velvet | title=Voice referendum live updates: Australians of the Year Yes vote letter in full | website=[[ABC News (Australia)]] | date=10 October 2023 | url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-10-11/live-updates-voice-referendum-latest-news-october-11/102958838 | access-date=11 October 2023}}</ref>

==Media==
She joined with actress [[Deborah Mailman]] on a [[road trip]], a four-part television documentary series ''Going Bush'' (2006) where the pair set off on a journey from [[Broome, Western Australia|Broome]] to [[Arnhem Land]] spending time with Indigenous communities along the way.{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}}

In 2008, Freeman participated in ''[[Who Do You Think You Are? (Australian TV series)|Who Do You Think You Are?]]'' and discovered that her mother was of Chinese and English heritage as well as Aboriginal. As a result of a 1917 Queensland policy that Aboriginal people could serve in the military if they had a European parent, her paternal great-grandfather, Frank Fisher served in the [[4th Light Horse Brigade#11th Light Horse Regiment|11th Light Horse Regiment]] during [[World War I]].<ref name="SBS1">[http://www.sbs.com.au/shows/whodoyouthinkyouare/episodes/detail/episode/86/season/1 Catherine Freeman] [[Who Do You Think You Are? (Australian TV series)|Who Do You Think You Are?]]. [[SBS One]].</ref><ref>[http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/lifestyle/news/cathys-family-secrets/story-e6frf00r-1111115304674 Cathy's family secrets] – publisher: [[The Daily Telegraph]] (13 January 2008)</ref>

On her right arm, the side closest to the spectators on an athletics track, she had the words "Cos I'm free" tattooed midway between her shoulder and elbow.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/sport/sporting-tattoos/2006/11/11/1162661948895.html|title=Sporting tattoos|last=Coulter|first=Michael|date=12 November 2021}}</ref>

==Competition record==
===International competitions===
{| {{AchievementTable|Event=yes|Result=yes|NotesOff=yes}}
|-
!colspan="6"|Representing {{AUS}}
|-
|rowspan=4|1990
|[[Athletics at the 1990 Commonwealth Games|Commonwealth Games]]
|[[Auckland]], New Zealand
| style="background:gold;"|1st
|4 × 100 m relay
|[[Athletics at the 1990 Commonwealth Games – Women's 4 × 100 metres relay|43.87]]
|-
|rowspan=3|[[1990 World Junior Championships in Athletics|World Junior Championships]]
|rowspan=3|[[Plovdiv]], [[Bulgaria]]
|15th (sf)
|100 m
|[[1990 World Junior Championships in Athletics – Women's 100 metres|11.87]] <small>(wind: -1.3&nbsp;m/s)</small>
|-
|5th
|200 m
|[[1990 World Junior Championships in Athletics – Women's 200 metres|23.61]] <small>(wind: +1.3&nbsp;m/s)</small>
|-
|5th
|4 × 100 m relay
|[[1990 World Junior Championships in Athletics – Women's 4 × 100 metres relay|45.01]]
|-
|rowspan=3|1992
|[[Athletics at the 1992 Summer Olympics|Summer Olympics]]
|[[Barcelona]], Spain
|7th
|4 × 400 m relay
|[[Athletics at the 1992 Summer Olympics – Women's 4 × 400 metres relay|3:26.42]]
|-
|rowspan=2|[[1992 World Junior Championships in Athletics|World Junior Championships]]
|rowspan=2|[[Seoul]], [[South Korea]]
| style="background:silver;"|2nd
|200 m
|[[1992 World Junior Championships in Athletics – Women's 200 metres|23.25]] <small>(wind: +0.3&nbsp;m/s)</small>
|-
|6th
|4 × 400 m relay
|[[1992 World Junior Championships in Athletics – Women's 4 × 400 metres relay|3:36.28]]
|-
|rowspan=4|1994
|rowspan=3|[[Athletics at the 1994 Commonwealth Games|Commonwealth Games]]
|rowspan=3|[[Victoria, British Columbia|Victoria]] Canada
|bgcolor=gold|1st
|200 m
|22.25
|-
|bgcolor=gold|1st
|400 m
|50.38
|-
| style="background:silver;"|2nd
|4 × 100 m relay
|43.43
|-
|[[1994 IAAF Grand Prix Final|IAAF Grand Prix Final]]
|[[Paris]], France
| style="background:silver;"|2nd
|400 m
|50.04
|-
|rowspan=2|1995
|rowspan=2|[[1995 World Championships in Athletics|World Championships]]
|rowspan=2|[[Gothenburg]], Sweden
|4th
|400 m
|50.60
|-
| style="background:#c96;"|3rd
|4 × 400 m relay
|[[1995 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 4 × 400 metres relay|3:25.88]]
|-
|rowspan=2|1996
|[[Athletics at the 1996 Summer Olympics|Summer Olympics]]
|[[Atlanta]], United States
| style="background:silver;"|2nd
|400 m
|48.63
|-
|[[1996 IAAF Grand Prix Final|IAAF Grand Prix Final]]
|[[Milan]], Italy
| style="background:gold;"|1st
|400 m
|49.60
|-
|1997
|[[1997 World Championships in Athletics|World Championships]]
|[[Athens]], Greece
| style="background:gold;"|1st
|400 m
|49.77
|-
|rowspan=3|1999
|rowspan=2|[[1999 World Championships in Athletics|World Championships]]
|rowspan=2|[[Seville]], Spain
| style="background:gold;"|1st
|400 m
|49.67
|-
|6th
|4 × 400 m relay
|[[1999 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 4 × 400 metres relay|3:28.04]]
|-
|[[1999 IAAF World Indoor Championships|World Indoor Championships]]
|[[Maebashi]], Japan
| style="background:silver;"|2nd
|4 × 400 m relay
|[[1999 IAAF World Indoor Championships – Women's 4 × 400 metres relay|3:26.87]]
|-
|rowspan=3|2000
|rowspan=3|[[Athletics at the 2000 Summer Olympics|Summer Olympics]]
|rowspan=3|Sydney, Australia
|6th
|200 m
|22.53
|-
| style="background:gold;"|1st
|400 m
|49.11
|-
|5th
|4 × 400 m relay
|[[Athletics at the 2000 Summer Olympics – Women's 4 × 400 metres relay|3:23.81]]
|-
|2002
|[[Athletics at the 2002 Commonwealth Games|Commonwealth Games]]
|[[Manchester]], Great Britain
| style="background:gold;"|1st
|4 × 400 m relay
|[[Athletics at the 2002 Commonwealth Games – Women's 4 × 400 metres relay|3:25.63]]
|}

===National championships===
{| {{AchievementTable|Event=yes|NotesOff=yes}}
|-
|1990
|Australian Championships
|[[Melbourne]], Australia
| style="background:silver;"|2nd
|100 m
|-
|1990
|Australian Championships
|[[Melbourne]], Australia
| style="background:#c96; text-align:center;"|3rd
|200 m
|-
|1991
|Australian Championships
|Sydney, Australia
| style="background:gold; text-align:center;"|1st
|200 m
|-
|1992
|Australian Championships
|[[Adelaide]], Australia
| style="background:silver; text-align:center;"|2nd
|200 m
|-
|1992
|Australian Championships
|[[Adelaide]], Australia
| style="background:#c96; text-align:center;"|3rd
|400 m
|-
|1993
|Australian Championships
|[[Queensland]], Australia
| style="background:silver; text-align:center;"|2nd
|200 m
|-
|1994
|Australian Championships
|Sydney, Australia
| style="background:gold;"|1st
|100 m
|-
|1994
|Australian Championships
|Sydney, Australia
| style="background:gold;"|1st
|200 m
|-
|1995
|Australian Championships
|Sydney, Australia
| style="background:silver; text-align:center;"|2nd
|200 m
|-
|1995
|Australian Championships
|Sydney, Australia
| style="background:gold; text-align:center;"|1st
|400 m
|-
|1996
|Australian Championships
|Sydney, Australia
| style="background:gold; text-align:center;"|1st
|100 m
|-
|1996
|Australian Championships
|Sydney, Australia
| style="background:gold; text-align:center;"|1st
|200 m
|-
|1997
|Australian Championships
|[[Melbourne]], Australia
| style="background:silver; text-align:center;"|2nd
|200 m
|-
|1997
|Australian Championships
|[[Melbourne]], Australia
| style="background:gold; text-align:center;"|1st
|400 m
|-
|1998
|Australian Championships
|[[Melbourne]], Australia
| style="background:gold; text-align:center;"|1st
|400 m
|-
|1999
|Australian Championships
|[[Melbourne]], Australia
| style="background:gold; text-align:center;"|1st
|400 m
|-
|2000
|Australian Championships
|Sydney, Australia
| style="background:gold; text-align:center;"|1st
|200 m
|-
|2000
|Australian Championships
|Sydney, Australia
| style="background:gold; text-align:center;"|1st
|400 m
|-
|2003
|Australian Championships
|[[Brisbane]], Australia
| style="background:gold;"|1st
|400 m
|}

===Circuit performances===
{| {{AchievementTable|Event=yes|NotesOff=yes}}
|2000
|Golden League 2000 – Exxon Mobil Bislett Games
|[[Oslo]], Norway
| style="background:gold; text-align:center;"|1st
|400 m
|-
|2000
|Golden League 2000 – Herculis Zepter
|[[Monaco]]
| style="background:gold; text-align:center;"|1st
|400 m
|-
|2000
|Golden League 2000 – Meeting Gaz de France de Paris
|Paris, France
| style="background:gold; text-align:center;"|1st
|200 m
|-
|2000
|Golden League 2000 – Memorial Van Damme
|[[Brussels]], Belgium
| style="background:gold; text-align:center;"|1st
|400 m
|-
|2000
|Grand Prix 2000 – [[Athletissima]] 2000
|[[Lausanne]], Switzerland
| style="background:gold; text-align:center;"|1st
|400 m
|-
|2000
|Grand Prix 2000 – CGU Classic
|[[Gateshead]], Great Britain
| style="background:gold; text-align:center;"|1st
|200 m
|-
|2000
|Grand Prix 2000 – Melbourne Track Classic
|[[Melbourne]], Australia
| style="background:gold; text-align:center;"|1st
|400 m
|-
|2000
|Grand Prix 2000 – Tsiklitiria Meeting
|[[Athens]], Greece
| style="background:gold; text-align:center;"|1st
|400 m
|}

==Awards==
*[[Young Australian of the Year]] 1990<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.australianoftheyear.org.au/recipients/cathy-freeman/134/#:~:text=QLDNational%20RecipientYoung%20Australian,School%20Athletics%20Championships%20in%20Brisbane |title=Cathy Freeman OAM - Australian of the Year |access-date=27 August 2021 |archive-date=27 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210827012015/https://www.australianoftheyear.org.au/recipients/cathy-freeman/134/#:~:text=QLDNational%20RecipientYoung%20Australian,School%20Athletics%20Championships%20in%20Brisbane |url-status=dead }}</ref>
*[[Australian of the Year]] 1998<ref>{{cite book | author= Lewis, Wendy | title=Australians of the Year | publisher=Pier 9 Press | year=2010 | isbn=978-1-74196-809-5 | author-link=Wendy Lewis }}</ref>
*[[Australian Sports Medal]] 2000<ref>[https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/975862 It's an Honour entry – Australian Sports Medal – 26 January 2001] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140113223224/http://www.itsanhonour.gov.au/honours/honour_roll/search.cfm?aus_award_id=975862&search_type=simple&showInd=true |date=13 January 2014 }} Citation: World Champion 1997 and 1999, Commonwealth Champion 1994, VIS Award of Excellence 1997</ref>
*[[Centenary Medal]] 2001<ref>[https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/1114964 It's an Honour entry – Centenary Medal – 1 January 2001] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140113223227/http://www.itsanhonour.gov.au/honours/honour_roll/search.cfm?aus_award_id=1114964&search_type=simple&showInd=true |date=13 January 2014 }} Citation: For outstanding service through sport</ref>
*[[Order of Australia|Medal of the Order of Australia]] (OAM) 2001<ref>[https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/887130 It's an Honour entry – Medal of the Order of Australia – 26 January 2001] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140113224313/http://www.itsanhonour.gov.au/honours/honour_roll/search.cfm?aus_award_id=887130&search_type=simple&showInd=true |date=13 January 2014 }} Citation: For service to sport, particularly athletics</ref>
*In 2001, Freeman received the Olympic Order from [[Juan Antonio Samaranch]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.olympic.org/news?articleid=52585|title=Olympic News – Official Source of Olympic News|date=27 March 2018|publisher=International Olympic Committee|access-date=27 March 2018}}</ref>
*[[Laureus]] named Freeman Sportswoman of the Year in 2001
*[[Arthur Ashe Courage Award]] 2001
*[[Victorian Honour Roll of Women]] 2001<ref>{{Cite web |date= 27 May 2022|title=Cathy Freeman OAM |url=https://www.vic.gov.au/cathy-freeman-oam |access-date=2025-03-08 |website=State Government of Victoria |language=en-au}}</ref>
*[[Deadly Awards]] 2003 – Female Sportsperson of the Year
*[[Sport Australia Hall of Fame Awards|Sport Australia Hall of Fame]] induction in 2005<ref>{{cite web|url=https://sahof.org.au/hall-of-fame-member/cathy-freeman/|title=Cathy Freeman|publisher=Sport Australia Hall of Fame|access-date=26 September 2020}}</ref>
*Queensland Sport Hall of Fame induction in 2009<ref>{{cite web|title=Ms Catherine Freeman OAM|url=http://www.qsport.org.au/qshof/biography.asp?ID=6|work=Queensland Sport Hall of Fame|publisher=qsport.org.au|access-date=20 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140126085236/http://qsport.org.au/qshof/biography.asp?ID=6|archive-date=26 January 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>
*In 2009 as part of the [[Q150]] celebrations, Freeman was announced as one of the [[Q150 Icons]] of Queensland for her role as a "sports legend".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://statements.qld.gov.au/statement/id/64301|title=PREMIER UNVEILS QUEENSLAND'S 150 ICONS|last=Bligh|first=Anna|author-link=Anna Bligh|date=10 June 2009|publisher=[[Queensland Government]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170524033717/http://statements.qld.gov.au/statement/id/64301|archive-date=24 May 2017|access-date=24 May 2017}}</ref>
*In 2025, she was an inaugural inductee of the [[Stadium Australia Hall of Fame]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Stadium Australia Hall of Fame |url=https://www.accorstadium.com.au/stadium_australia_hall_of_fame |access-date=2025-09-16 |website=Accor Stadium |language=en}}</ref>

==References==
{{Portal bar|Sports|Australia}}
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* Freeman, Cathy (2007) ''Born to Run'' Melbourne, [[Penguin Books|Penguin Books Australia]]. {{ISBN|9780143302384}}
*{{cite web | last=Hutcheon | first=Stephen | title=Tripping the flow: The clever physics hack behind Cathy Freeman's golden Olympic run | website=ABC News|publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation | date=12 September 2020 | url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-09-12/cathy-freemans-golden-run/12637074}}
* McGregor, A. (1998) ''Cathy Freeman; A Journey Just Begun.'' Milsons Point, [[Random House|Random House Australia]]. {{ISBN|0-09-183649-2}}
* White, L. (2013) "Cathy Freeman and Australia's Indigenous Heritage: A New Beginning for an Old Nation at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games", ''International Journal of Heritage Studies'', Vol. 19, Issue 2, pp 153–170 ({{ISSN|1352-7258}}).
* White, L. (2010) "Gender, Race and Nation at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games: Mediated Images 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, One Nation, Two Flags: Cathy Freeman and Australia's Search for Aboriginal Reconciliation", ''Sporting Traditions'', Vol. 25, Issue 2, pp 1–19 ({{ISSN|0813-2577}}).

==External links==
{{Portal|Biography}}
{{Commons category|Cathy Freeman}}
* {{Sport Australia Hall of Fame}}
* {{Australian Olympic Committee}}
* {{Commonwealth Games Australia|cathy-freeman}}
* {{World Athletics}}
* {{Olympedia}}
* [https://estrellasports.com.au/portfolio/items/cathy-freeman/ Cathy Freeman] at Estrella Sports Management
* [https://www.cathyfreemanfoundation.org.au/ The Cathy Freeman Foundation] - supports Indigenous students to experience their full potential in school

{{S-start}}
{{s-ach}}
{{s-bef|before={{flagicon|USA}} [[Marion Jones]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Laureus World Sports Award for Sportswoman of the Year|World Sportswoman of the Year]]|years=2001}}
{{s-aft|after={{flagicon|USA}} [[Jennifer Capriati]]}}
{{s-sports|oly}}
{{s-bef|before={{flagicon|JPN}} [[Midori Ito]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[List of people who have lit the Olympic Cauldron|Final Olympic torchbearer]]|years=[[2000 Summer Olympics|Sydney 2000]]}}
{{s-aft|after={{flagicon|USA}} [[Miracle on Ice|1980 USA Men's Ice Hockey Team]]}}
{{s-bef|before={{flagicon|USA}} [[Muhammad Ali]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[List of people who have lit the Olympic Cauldron|Final Summer Olympic torchbearer]]|years=[[2000 Summer Olympics|Sydney 2000]]}}
{{s-aft|after={{flagicon|GRE}} [[Nikolaos Kaklamanakis]]}}
{{S-end}}
{{Footer Olympic Champions 400 m Women}}
{{Footer World Champions 400 m Women}}
{{Footer Commonwealth Champions 200m Women}}
{{Footer Commonwealth Champions 400m Women}}
{{Footer Commonwealth Champions 4x100 m Women}}
{{Footer Commonwealth Champions 4x400 m Women}}
{{Footer WBYP 400m Women}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Freeman, Cathy}}
[[Category:1973 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Mackay, Queensland]]
[[Category:Athletes from Queensland]]
[[Category:Sportswomen from Queensland]]
[[Category:Australian women sprinters]]
[[Category:Olympic athletes for Australia]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists for Australia]]
[[Category:Olympic silver medalists for Australia]]
[[Category:Indigenous Australian Olympians]]
[[Category:Indigenous Australian track and field athletes]]
[[Category:Olympic cauldron lighters]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1992 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1996 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2000 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Commonwealth Games gold medallists for Australia]]
[[Category:Commonwealth Games athletes for Australia]]
[[Category:Commonwealth Games silver medallists for Australia]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1990 Commonwealth Games]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1994 Commonwealth Games]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2002 Commonwealth Games]]
[[Category:World Athletics Championships athletes for Australia]]
[[Category:World Athletics Championships medalists]]
[[Category:Australian of the Year Award winners]]
[[Category:Laureus World Sports Awards winners]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Australian Sports Medal]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Olympic Order]]
[[Category:Sport Australia Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:Australian people of English descent]]
[[Category:Australian people of Syrian descent]]
[[Category:Sportspeople of English descent]]
[[Category:Sportspeople of Syrian descent]]
[[Category:Australian Bahá'ís]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1996 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 2000 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists in athletics]]
[[Category:Olympic silver medalists in athletics]]
[[Category:World Athletics Indoor Championships medalists]]
[[Category:World Athletics Championships winners]]
[[Category:Olympic women sprinters]]
[[Category:Australian republicans]]
[[Category:Australian autobiographers]]
[[Category:Medallists at the 1990 Commonwealth Games]]
[[Category:Medallists at the 1994 Commonwealth Games]]
[[Category:Medallists at the 2002 Commonwealth Games]]
[[Category:Australian Athletics Championships winners]]
[[Category:21st-century Australian sportswomen]]
[[Category:Commonwealth Games gold medallists in athletics]]
[[Category:Commonwealth Games silver medallists in athletics]]