Australia’s Olympic champion, Cathy Freeman, turns 42 today. Born with an incomparable talent for sprinting, she has made history several times over and made Australia proud. In 2000, 9 million Australians tuned in to the Sydney Olympics to watch the 27-year-old run the 400m sprint. The athlete won the race in 49.13 seconds and claimed the gold medal for her country.
Cathy’s inspiring talent and lively spirit won and, and have held her in the hearts of Australians for many years. In 1992 at the Olympic Games Barcelona, she became the first Australian-Aboriginal to represent Australia at an Olympics. In 1998 she was named Australian of the Year, and at the Sydney Olympics she was first competing athlete to be invited to light the Olympic flame.
Cathy announced her retirement from competitive sprinting in 2003 and has since dedicated herself to motherhood and to making a difference to the lives of others – with particular attention to Aboriginal issues – through the Catherine Freeman Foundation.