Cathy freeman english interview
Winning gold through Cathy's own foundation..
In an interview with Living Black, Olympic hero Cathy Freeman details how she rose above racism to make history.
Cathy Freeman opens up about discrimination during her career
She's the athlete that sprinted into the nation’s hearts when at age 16 she became the first ever Aboriginal Commonwealth Games gold medallist.
But the moment she is best remembered for is that 400m sprint in the 2000 Olympic Games.
"I really didn't feel like my feet were touching the ground such was the atmosphere in the stadium," she says.
"It was like nothing I had ever experienced before.
I was so happy. I mean to be a winner is one thing but to feel like a champion is nice, especially to be the best in the world."
"What did upset me at time was my parent’s reaction; they were more upset than me."
But the Olympic sprinter says the road to success had its moments of downright discrimination.
She recalls the first time became aware her race was an issue was in primary school Mackay Far North Queensland.
The young runner kept winning races, but never re