The Catherine Freeman Foundation
Creating pathways to a brighter future.
BIOGRAPHY
Catherine (Cathy) Astrid Salome Freeman was born on 16th February in Mackay, Queensland. Catherine is Greek for ‘pure’, Astrid, German for ‘star’ and Salome is Hebrew for ‘Peace’.
Catherine had an older brother and sister and two younger brothers, and her memories of her early childhood were ones of having a lot of fun running around and playing with her brothers and friends.
From an early age she realised that she not only loved to run, but that she was good at it. She won her first gold medal at a school athletics championship when she was eight years old. Catherine Freeman’s stepfather, Bruce Barber, coached her until 1989. Catherine Freeman’s family did not have a lot of money and, like many Australian Aboriginals, suffered discrimination from white Australians. Catherine remembers winning one race at a primary school competition, when she had to watch on as the white girls she had beaten received trophies.
It was when she was just a young girl that she began to dream about being the World’s greatest female athlete and being Olympic Champion. A dream that kept her focused on her training and helped her to go on to achieve her dream.
In 1987 Catherine won a scholarship to Fairholme School but moved on to Kooralbyn International School to be coached professionally by Mike Danila.
She moved to Melbourne in 1990 after winning a gold medal in the 4×100m relay at the Auckland Commonwealth Games.
Friends of Catherine Freeman
COMPETITION BIOGRAPHY
1990 Commonwealth Games, Auckland, New Zealand – Gold 4 × 100 metres relay team. With this medal win, she became the first female Australian Aboriginal to win a gold medal at an international athletics event.
1991 awarded Young Australian of the Year
1992 Olympic Games Barcelona, Spain – Cathy Freeman become the first Australian Aboriginal to represent Australia at an Olympics
1994 Commonwealth Games, Victoria, Canada – Gold in the 200m and 400m.
1996 Olympics Games Atlanta, USA – silver medal and personal best 48.63 seconds.
1997 World Athletic Championships, Athens, Greece – gold 400m.
1998 awarded Australian of the Year
1999 World Athletic Championships Seville, Spain – Gold 400m.
2000 Olympic Games 2000 – Gold medal 400m.
Catherine had the honour of lighting the Olympic flame at these games.
Retirement
On 15 July 2003 Cathy Freeman announced her retirement from competitive running.
On 15 March 2006, she was one of the final runners in the Queen’s Baton Relay, bringing the baton into the MCG at the Opening Ceremony of the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
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