Cathy Freeman

Cathy Freeman was born on 16th February, 1973, in Mackay, Queensland. She grew up in an Aboriginal community with her two brothers and sister. They were raised by their mum and stepfather Bruce Barber.

She began running when she was seven years old and became a school champion. She continued running and eventually won her state competition.

She became the first Aboriginal track and field athlete to represent Australia in the Olympics (1992). She has represented Australia in 16 teams; 5 World Championships, 3 Olympics, 3 Commonwealth games, 2 World Juniors, 2 World Indoors, and 1 World Cup.

She has won 13 Medals at international competitions, 7 gold, she has beaten 9 Australian open records, and is the Commonwealth 400m record holder. On the World All-times lists she is 6th in the 400m, and 13th in the 4 x 400m. She was made Young Australian of the Year in 1990 and Australian of the Year in 1998. She is the first person to receive both awards.

The tattoo on her right triceps reads 'Cos I'm Free'. Although she has represented Australia in countless competitions, she still attracts criticism and public disapproval because of her cultural pride. There was also an appeal for nominations as to who the flag-bearer should be at the opening ceremony of the Sydney 2000 Olympic games, and people wrote in saying that it shouldn’t be Cathy.

I believe that Cathy is a hero, and an inspiration to all.