Cathy Freeman Biography

Occup.Athlete
FromAustralia
BornFebruary 16, 1973
Age51 years
Early Life
Cathy Freeman was born Catherine Astrid Salome Freeman on February 16, 1973, in Mackay, Queensland, Australia. Born to Norman Freeman, a native Australian of the Kuku Yalanji people, and Cecelia, of Irish descent, Cathy has 3 older brother or sisters, 2 sisters and a sibling. Growing up in a working-class family, Freeman faced substantial difficulties, consisting of racial discrimination and also monetary struggle. However, her family background gave her with the basing for durability, a strong job values, and also healthy and balanced self-esteem.

Increasing Star in Athletics
Freeman found her love for athletics at an extremely young age. With the encouragement of her family members as well as her coach Mike Danila, she began to master the sport. At simply 10 years old, she became Queensland's state champ, winning a gold medal in the 100 meters race. As a teen, Freeman pursued her interest for athletics, winning more gold medals and also breaking numerous records.

In 1990, at the age of 16, Cathy Freeman was awarded a scholarship to Fairholme College in Toowoomba, where she continued her sports pursuits. She quickly made a name for herself on the planet of dashing after winning the 1990 Australian Senior Championships.

International Success
Freeman's worldwide career removed when she tipped onto the global stage in the very early 1990s. At the 1990 Commonwealth Games held in Auckland, New Zealand, she won gold for Australia in the 4 x 100 meters relay. She was just 16 at the time, making her the first Indigenous Australian to win a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games since 1962.

Two years later, at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, Freeman came to be the initial Indigenous Australian lady to complete in the Olympics. Although she really did not win a medal, she made a strong impact as well as remained to train vigilantly.

The 1994 Commonwealth Games in Victoria, Canada, marked Freeman's breakthrough as a solo athlete. She won gold medals in both the 200 meters and also 400 meters events, establishing new Commonwealth documents at the same time.

Freeman's crowning achievement came with the 2000 Sydney Olympics when she won the gold medal in the 400 meters occasion, ending up being the very first Aboriginal individual to win an individual Olympic gold medal. Her victory transformed her into a sign of unity for Australians as well as an inspiration for Indigenous Australians and also professional athletes worldwide.

Personal Life
Cathy Freeman wed Alexander "Sandy" Bodecker, a Nike exec, in 1999, but the pair divorced in 2003. She later on wed James Murch, an Australian star and also stockbroker, in 2009. The couple has one little girl, Ruby, birthed in 2011.

Following her retired life from affordable athletics in 2003, Freeman established the Cathy Freeman Foundation in 2007. The structure aims to enhance the instructional results for Indigenous Australian children and aid connect the gap between Indigenous as well as non-Indigenous Australians. Freeman also serves as an ambassador for numerous organizations, consisting of the Australian Indigenous Education Foundation and the National Centre of Indigenous Excellence.

Tradition
Cathy Freeman is unquestionably one of Australia's best athletes and also a motivation to countless individuals around the world. Her amazing achievements in athletics, incorporated with her efforts to shut Australia's Indigenous education gap as well as advertise racial equal rights, have actually made her a national icon as well as a treasured member of Australia's sporting activities community.

Our collection contains 30 quotes who is written / told by Cathy.

Related authors: Lawrence Taylor (Athlete)

30 Famous quotes by Cathy Freeman

Small: I was going to shave it. It went in two parts. I got a bob first but it kept falling all over my face.
"I was going to shave it. It went in two parts. I got a bob first but it kept falling all over my face. Then it was off, short. The main reason it was long was because my mother cut it short when I was little and I was trying to make up for that"
Small: Between 1991 and 1997 I had really serious asthma
"Between 1991 and 1997 I had really serious asthma"
Small: When Im in a bad mood, I dont listen
"When I'm in a bad mood, I don't listen"
Small: My last real race was at the Olympics in Sydney in 2000
"My last real race was at the Olympics in Sydney in 2000"
Small: I was always surrounded by expectation from the very first race I ran as a 5-year-old
"I was always surrounded by expectation from the very first race I ran as a 5-year-old"
Small: I want to keep my private life private
"I want to keep my private life private"
Small: I make no apologies
"I make no apologies"
Small: I lie around the floor with my cats Billy and Jazz or watch DVDs with my best friends
"I lie around the floor with my cats Billy and Jazz or watch DVDs with my best friends"
Small: I have time to breathe, time to be myself more often, I am a lot more relaxed and less guarded
"I have time to breathe, time to be myself more often, I am a lot more relaxed and less guarded"
Small: I feel like Ive reached an age where I can relax a little bit with the knowledge of what Ive been throu
"I feel like I've reached an age where I can relax a little bit with the knowledge of what I've been through, take all that experience and use it. I love the challenge of trying to get back to where I've been, and beyond it"
Small: People could see in me who I am now, an Olympic champ, the best in the world
"People could see in me who I am now, an Olympic champ, the best in the world"
Small: I like being in the workforce it keeps me grounded
"I like being in the workforce; it keeps me grounded"
Small: I dont like people looking at me I hate the attention
"I don't like people looking at me; I hate the attention"
Small: Im so lucky. I have such a great support system. All I have to do is run
"I'm so lucky. I have such a great support system. All I have to do is run"
Small: I like looking feminine and I enjoy being a role model. I enjoy being a woman. It all comes down to hav
"I like looking feminine and I enjoy being a role model. I enjoy being a woman. It all comes down to having the confidence to be who you are"
Small: You got to try and reach for the stars or try and achieve the unreachable
"You got to try and reach for the stars or try and achieve the unreachable"
Small: Im not a marriage expert, quite clearly
"I'm not a marriage expert, quite clearly"
Small: I think the greatest amount of pressure is the pressure I place on myself. So in a way I chose to be al
"I think the greatest amount of pressure is the pressure I place on myself. So in a way I chose to be alone"
Small: I made my first Australian senior team when I was 16, first Olympics when I was 19, and I retired.
"I made my first Australian senior team when I was 16, first Olympics when I was 19, and I retired. I'm 32, I retired four years ago, so a good third of my life or nearly a third of my life has been all about running"
Small: This occasion is personally very meaningful and I hope to visit Korea again if I have the chance
"This occasion is personally very meaningful and I hope to visit Korea again if I have the chance"
Small: Money makes life easier but I dont want to be rich, not at all
"Money makes life easier but I don't want to be rich, not at all"
Small: I dont have a lot of regrets in my life
"I don't have a lot of regrets in my life"
Small: Australians are a fantastic bunch of people but the attention can be overwhelming for someone like me
"Australians are a fantastic bunch of people but the attention can be overwhelming for someone like me"
Small: I was running since I was 10. Since grade one at school people looked at me and thought, oh gosh she ca
"I was running since I was 10. Since grade one at school people looked at me and thought, oh gosh she can really run, she's a natural"
Small: I have a friend who, if she has a bad hair day, it affects her whole mood because it is part of her sex
"I have a friend who, if she has a bad hair day, it affects her whole mood because it is part of her sexuality, her confidence. I don't have that problem any more"
Small: With Alexanders cancer, I was definitely brought to my knees for the first time because of the fear fac
"With Alexander's cancer, I was definitely brought to my knees for the first time because of the fear factor"
Small: The thing I do best is laugh
"The thing I do best is laugh"
Small: Peace, unity and harmony!
"Peace, unity and harmony!"
Small: I dont agree with everything Madonnas done but she is fearless
"I don't agree with everything Madonna's done but she is fearless"
Small: I definitely do things on my terms, it may not seem that way but I actually do
"I definitely do things on my terms, it may not seem that way but I actually do"