Cathy Freeman is an Australian woman who overcame many of the barriers faced by indigenous people to represent her culture and country as a sporting icon. Her cultural heritage dominates her life and how others see her achievements. Consider Cathy’s story and the challenge that follows.
Female Leaders: Cathy Freeman
Catherine (Cathy) Astrid Salome Freeman was born on 16 February 1973, in Mackay, Queensland, Australia. Her father was Norman Freeman, an ex‐rugby player from Woorabinda. He was a loving father, but was prone to excessive drinking and violent outbursts. When Cathy was 5 years old he moved to the Aboriginal Mission three hours west of Mackay, where he lived away from his wife and children for the rest of his life. He was soon diagnosed with diabetes and became further depressed, drinking more frequently. Cathy’s mother Cecelia was known to be very strict with her children; always for their own benefit, of course. However, early on Cathy found her mother overbearing and even domineering. This lead to frequent arguments and Cathy sometimes ran off at night to hang out with her cousins. Her mother was nevertheless a constant in her life and Cecelia proved to be a great source of support when Cathy was troubled or upset. She also encouraged the young girl with her running and from an early age Cathy was prompted to write out ‘I am the world’s greatest athlete’ as a positive affirmation on which to build her athletics dreams.
Cecelia married Bruce Barber, a white railway worker, and initially this new relationship upset the children. Eventually, though, Bruce was to become one of Cathy’s greatest supporters and even though the family had to move frequently because of his job, it was Bruce who recognised Cathy’s potential and became her first coach. He took an interest in positive psychology and counselled or supported Cathy during some niggling injuries and a bout of glandular fever that threatened to stall her early career. It was also Bruce who raised money to allow Cathy and her younger brother Norman to attend various national athletics championships.
Bruce also knew his limitations and once he was sure Cathy would excel in her sporting career with more guidance, he put his energies in 1987 into securing her a place at Fairholme College in Toowoomba where, with the aid of a scholarship and better coaching and facilities, she did indeed improve.
It is for her sporting prowess that Cathy is best known. She won her first gold medal at her school championships when she was 8, although she faced frequent discrimination for being an Aboriginal. Once she had to watch the first‐place trophy being given to another girl, even though Cathy had won the race, because it was inconceivable that a black child could win. Her first international race was at the Commonwealth Games in Auckland in 1990. She ran as part of the Australian 4 × 100m relay team. In doing so she became the first female Aboriginal Australian to win a gold medal in any international athletics event.
In 1991 Cathy was named Young Australian of the Year. After more intensive training she took part in the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain, becoming the first Aboriginal to represent Australia at the Olympics. She did not win a medal, but the competition offered vital insights into how to prepare for later competitions.
In 1994 Cathy again excelled at the Commonwealth Games, this time in Victoria, Canada, where she won the 200m and 400m Gold medals. In terms of heightened international recognition, she came under more intense scrutiny at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Here she ran her personal best of 48.63seconds to win a Silver medal in the 400m event. This was followed by a Gold medal in the 400m at the World Athletics Championships in 1997. Off the track Cathy was also making waves as a successful Indigenous ambassador, supporting and promoting Aboriginal culture. Much of this off‐field work contributed to her being named 1998 Australian of the Year
Next she competed in the 1999 World Athletics Championships in Seville, Spain and was successful with a Gold medal in the 400m event. However, her real target was the Gold medal at the Olympics and as the year 2000 rolled around, the world watched with fascination and anticipation as she stormed to victory in the 400m final. Cathy had also carried the Olympic flame at the opening ceremony, but her highlight in these games was her fantastic victory. She stood out too in a specially designed green and gold running suit, in complete contrast to the ill‐fitting and poor running equipment that she had been offered or able to secure as a young athlete.
Her dream of winning Olympic Gold had come true and she had done it in front of her friends and family in Australia. Her only regret was that her father, Norman, had died before her greatest win. Cathy retired from competitive running in 2003 and began to concentrate more on her domestic responsibilities and on the Cathy Freeman Foundation, which focuses on making life better for Indigenous Australians.
Challenge: Cathy Freeman is a great athlete in spite of her cultural heritage not because of it, although her upbringing, her cultural background and the circumstances of her youth clearly affected her athletic development. If culture is people focused and if culture can be changed, how much power do we have to change negative or potentially disruptive influences so that we can be our best selves, be the best clinicians or do the best for our patients or clients?
