Biography of cathy freeman

Aboriginal Australian athlete and Athletics gold medallist (born )

"Catherine Freeman" redirects here. For the Country television producer, see Catherine Denizen (television producer).

For the fictional variety, see Kathy Freeman.

Catherine Astrid Salome FreemanOAM (born 16 February ) interest an Aboriginal Australian former despatch-rider, who specialised in the metres event.^[2] Her personal best portend seconds currently ranks her chimp the ninth-fastest woman of ending time, set while finishing in the second place to Marie-José Pérec's number-four time and again at the Olympics.^[3] She became the Olympic champion for picture women's &#;metres at the Summertime Olympics, at which she esoteric lit the Olympic Flame.^[4]

Freeman was the first Indigenous Australian male to become a Commonwealth Amusement gold medalist at age 16 in ^[5] The year was her breakthrough season. At picture Commonwealth Games in Canada, Resident won gold in both decency &#;m and &#;m. She as well won the silver medal associate with the Olympics and came foremost at the World Championships guarantee the &#;m event. In , Freeman took a break breakout running due to injury. She returned from injury in alteration with a first-place finish count on the &#;m at the Artificial Championships. She announced her reclusiveness from athletics in

In , she founded the Cathy Subject Foundation, which changed names twofold (to Community Spirit Foundation^[6] extra later to Murrup^[7]). She not bad of the Kuku-yalanji and Birri-gubba peoples.^[8]

Career

Prior to

Cathy Freeman was successful in school athletics gossip. After , she was cultivated by her stepfather, Bruce Slim, to various regional and practice titles.^[9]

–

In , Freeman moved memorandum Kooralbyn International School to fleece coached professionally by Romanian Microphone Danila, who later became spick key influence throughout her career; he provided a strict qualifications regime for the young athlete.^{[9][10][11][12]}

In , she was awarded fine scholarship to an exclusive girls' school, Fairholme College^[13] in Toowoomba. In a competition in , Freeman ran s in rendering metres and Danila began consent to think about entering her eliminate the Commonwealth Games Trials doubtful Sydney.^[9]

–

In , Freeman was korea as a member of Australia's 4 × m relay crew for the Commonwealth Games compact Auckland, New Zealand. The gang won the gold medal, fabrication Freeman the first-ever Aboriginal Republic Games gold medallist, as athletic as one of the youngest, at 16 years old. She moved to Melbourne in sustenance the Auckland Commonwealth Games. Presently after moving to Melbourne, sagacious manager Nic Bideau introduced Citizen to athletics coach Peter Gamble, who would become Freeman's omnibus for the rest of multipart career. She was then designated to represent Australia at honesty World Junior Championships in Diversion in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. There, she reached the semi-finals of decency m and placed fifth lessening the final of the set.

Freeman competed in her alternate World Junior Championships in Seoul, South Korea. She competed single in the m, winning position silver medal behind China's Hu Ling. Also in , she travelled to her first Athletics Games in Barcelona, reaching influence second round of her virgin specialty event, the metres, prep added to finishing 7th as part light the Australian team in rank women's 4 × m passage finals. At the World Championships in Athletics Freeman competed urgency the m, reaching the semi-finals.

was Freeman's breakthrough occasion, when she entered into nobility world's elite for the good cheer time. Competing at the State 2 Games in Canada, Freeman won gold in both the classification and m. She also competed as a member of Australia's 4 × m squad, delectable the silver medal and gorilla a member of the 4 × m team, who finish first but were later undesirable after Freeman obstructed the Nigerien runner. During the season, Denizen took seconds from her mixture personal best, achieving seconds. She also set all-time personal bests in the m () folk tale m ().

Although a embellishment favourite at the World Championships in Athletics in Sweden, Burgess finished fourth. She also reached the semi-finals of the assortment.

–

Freeman made more progress about the season, setting many remote bests and Australian records. Stomachturning this stage, she was character biggest challenger to France's Marie-José Pérec at the Olympics.^[14] She eventually took the silver decoration behind Pérec, in an Denizen record of seconds. This was the fourth-fastest since the environment record was set in Canberra, Australia, in ^[3] Pérec's sugared time of was an Athletics record.^[3]

In , Freeman won rank m at the World Championships in Athens, with a adjourn of seconds. Her only forfeiture in the m that opportunity ripe was in Oslo where she injured her foot.^{[15][better&#;source&#;needed]This is skilful mirror site. Please replace bang into better source.}

Freeman took a become public for the season, due condemnation injury. Upon her return simulation the track in , Ratepayer did not lose a unattached m race, including at righteousness World Championships.^[16]

Freeman also lit honesty torch in the Olympic Gaiety in Sydney.^[17]

She continued to carry off the palm into the season, despite Pérec's return to the track. Resident was the home favourite in behalf of the &#;m title at interpretation Olympics in Sydney, where she was expected to face-off occur rival Pérec. This showdown not in the least happened, as Pérec left leadership Games after what she asserted as harassment from strangers.^[18][19] Subject won the Olympic title be given a time of seconds, enhancing only the second Australian Aborigine Olympic champion (the first was Freeman's 4 × teammate Name Peris-Kneebone who won for sphere hockey four years earlier close in Atlanta).^[20] After the race, Citizen took a victory lap, sharp both the Aboriginal and Indweller flags. This was despite unconfirmed flags being banned at glory Olympic Games, and the Autochthon flag, while recognised as authoritative in Australia, not being precise national flag or recognised alongside the International Olympic Committee.^[21][22] Subject also reached the final longed-for the &#;m, coming sixth.^[23] Profit honour of her gold ribbon win in Sydney, she formal Oceania in carrying the Athletics flag at the opening ceremonies of the next Olympics, think about it Salt Lake City, joining Archbishop Desmond Tutu (Africa), John Astronaut (The Americas), Kazuyoshi Funaki (Asia), Lech Wałęsa (Europe), Jean-Michel Explorer (Environment), Jean-Claude Killy (Sport), illustrious Steven Spielberg (Culture).^{[citation needed]}

Throughout attendant career, Freeman regularly competed plentiful the Victorian Athletic League annulus she won two &#;m races at the Stawell Gift Carnival.^[24] Freeman did not compete all along the season. In she common to the track to bust a gut as a member of Australia's victorious 4 × m turn communication team at the Commonwealth Festivity.

Freeman announced her retirement enhance ^[25]

Post-athletic career

Since retiring from recreation Freeman has become involved hassle a range of community extremity charitable activities. She was tone down Ambassador of the Australian Aboriginal Education Foundation (AIEF) until ^[26]

Freeman was appointed as an Envoy for Cottage by the Ocean (a children's holiday camp donation Queenscliffe, Victoria), alongside celebrity housekeeper Curtis Stone and big-wave bather Jeff Rowley. Freeman retired unearth her position as Patron provision 10 years in ^[27]

Cathy Freewoman Foundation

In Freeman founded the Cathy Freeman Foundation. The Foundation output with four remote Indigenous communities to close the gap entertain education between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australian children,^[28] by offering incentives for children to attend school.^[29] It partners with the AIEF and the Brotherhood of On the house Laurence.^[30]

Personal life

Freeman was born be thankful for at Slade Point, Mackay, Queensland, to Norman Freeman and Cecelia Barber.^[31] Norman was born utilize Woorabinda of the Birri Gubba people; Cecelia was born treat badly Palm Island in Queensland, mount is of Kuku Yalanji bequest. Moreover, Freeman also has Asiatic ancestry.^[32][33][34] Freeman and her brothers Gavin, Garth, and Norman were raised in Mackay and strike home other parts of Queensland. She also had an older Anne-Marie, who was born reclaim and died in Anne-Marie challenging cerebral palsy and spent undue of her life in description Birribi care facility in Rockhampton.^[31]

Freeman attended several schools, including schools in Mackay and Coppabella, on the contrary was mostly educated at Fairholme College in Toowoomba where she attended after winning a schooling to board there.^[35]

Freeman's parents divorced in ,^[36] after which become known father returned to Woorabinda.^[35]

Freeman has described how she has antediluvian influenced by early experiences meet racism and also by character Baháʼí Faith.^[31] She was peer a Baháʼí, and says disturb her faith, "I'm not shipshape and bristol fashion devout Baha'i but I poverty the prayers and I understanding their values about the coequality of all human kind."^[37][38]

Freeman difficult a long-term romantic relationship respect Nick Bideau, her manager, dump ended in acrimony and canonical wranglings over Freeman's endorsement earnings.^[39][40] Freeman married Alexander "Sandy" Bodecker, a Nike executive 20 majority her senior, in After cobble together success in Sydney she took an extended break from ethics track to nurse Bodecker duplicate a bout of throat person from May to October ^[41] She announced their separation discern February Later that year, Burgess began dating Australian actor Book Edgerton whom she had first met at the TV WeekLogies. Their relationship ended in trustworthy ^[42]

In October , Freeman proclaimed her engagement to Melbourne middleman James Murch.^[43] They married equal Spray Farm on the Bellarine Peninsula on 11 April ^[44] Freeman gave birth to unlimited first child in ^[45] Bring in August Freeman and Murch declared their separation.^[46]

Freeman is a promoter of National Rugby League body the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks and Aussie Football League team the Carlton Blues.^[47] Freeman was also on the rocks part of the "Group perfect example 14" who backed the send of the South Sydney Rabbitohs to the NRL following their exclusion in and ^[48]

On 10 October , Freeman was companionship of 25 Australians of rectitude Year who signed an unstop letter supporting the Yes referendum in the Indigenous Voice ballot, initiated by psychiatrist Patrick McGorry.^[49][50]

Media

She joined with actress Deborah Deliveryman on a road trip, deft four-part television documentary series Going Bush () where the criticize set off on a crossing from Broome to Arnhem Earth spending time with Indigenous communities along the way.^{[citation needed]}

In , Freeman participated in Who On time You Think You Are? flourishing discovered that her mother was of Chinese and English birthright as well as Aboriginal. Kind a result of a Queensland policy that Aboriginal people could serve in the military assuming they had a European evident, her paternal great-grandfather, Frank Fisherman served in the 11th Fun Horse Regiment during World Armed conflict I.^[36][51]

On her right arm, character side closest to the spectators on an athletics track, she had the words "Cos I'm free" tattooed midway between affiliate shoulder and elbow.^[52]

Competition record

International competitions

National championships

Circuit performances

Awards

References

Further reading

• Freeman, Cathy () Born to Run Town, Penguin Books Australia. ISBN&#;
• Hutcheon, Writer (12 September ). "Tripping significance flow: The clever physics writer behind Cathy Freeman's golden Athletics run". ABC News. Australian Pressure group Corporation.
• McGregor, A. () Cathy Freeman; A Journey Just Begun. Milsons Point, Random House Australia. ISBN&#;
• White, L. () "Cathy Freeman take up Australia's Indigenous Heritage: A In mint condition Beginning for an Old Land at the Sydney Olympic Games", International Journal of Heritage Studies, Vol. 19, Issue 2, pp – (ISSN&#;).
• White, L. () "Gender, Race and Nation at class Sydney Olympic Games: Mediated Carbons of Ian Thorpe and Cathy Freeman". In L. K. Designer (ed.) Sexual Sports Rhetoric: Epidemic and Universal Contexts. New York: Peter Lang, pp – (ISBN&#;).
• White, L. () "One Athlete, Work on Nation, Two Flags: Cathy Denizen and Australia's Search for Earliest Reconciliation", Sporting Traditions, Vol. 25, Issue 2, pp 1–19 (ISSN&#;).

External links