Editing Cathy Freeman (section)

{{Short description|Aboriginal Australian athlete and Olympic gold medallist (born 1973)}}
{{redirect|Catherine Freeman|the British television producer|Catherine Freeman (television producer)}}
{{for|the fictional character|Kathy Freeman}}
{{Use Australian English|date=June 2012}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2022}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| name = Cathy Freeman
| image = Cathy Freeman (cropped).jpg
| image_size = 
| alt = 
| honorific_suffix = {{Post-nominals|size=100|country=AUS|OAM}}
| caption = Freeman in 2008
| headercolor = purple
| native_name = 
| native_name_lang = 
| birth_name = 
| fullname = Catherine Astrid Salome Freeman
| citizenship = 
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=y|1973|2|16}}
| birth_place = [[Mackay, Queensland]], Australia
| resting_place = 
| monuments = 
| residence = 
| education = Kooralbyn International school <br /> Fairholme College
| alma_mater = [[University of Melbourne]]
| occupation = Australian sprinter/runner
| years_active = 
| employer = 
| agent children = 
| height = {{convert|164|cm|ftin|abbr=on}}
| weight = {{convert|56|kg|stlb lb|abbr=on}}<ref>{{cite web|title=Cathy Freeman|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/fr/cathy-freeman-1.html|work=sports-reference.com|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|access-date=20 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081204065715/http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/fr/cathy-freeman-1.html|archive-date=4 December 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| spouse = {{marriage|Sandy Bodecker|1999|2003|end=div}} {{marriage|James Murch|2009|2024|end=sep}}
| life_partner = 
| other_interests = 
| website = <!-- {{URL|www.example.com}} -->
| country = Australia
| sport = Sprint
| disability = 
| disability_class = 
| rank = 
| event = 
| collegeteam = 
| universityteam = University of Melbourne
| league = 
| league_type = 
| club = 
| team = 
| turnedpro = 
| partner = 
| former_partner = 
| retired = 1 July 2003
| coach = Step-father Bruce Barber, Mike Danila, Peter Fortune
| worlds = 
| regionals = 
| nationals = 
| olympics = 
| paralympics = 
| highestranking = 
| pb = 
| medaltemplates = {{Medal|Sport | Women's [[athletics (sport)|athletics]]}}
{{Medal|Country | {{AUS}}}}
{{Medal|Competition|[[Olympic Games]]}}
{{Medal|Gold |[[2000 Summer Olympics|2000 Sydney]] | [[Athletics at the 2000 Summer Olympics – Women's 400 metres|400 m]]}}
{{Medal|Silver |[[1996 Olympics|1996 Atlanta]] | [[Athletics at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Women's 400 metres|400 m]]}}
{{Medal|Competition|[[IAAF World Championships in Athletics|World Championships]]}}
{{Medal|Gold |[[1997 World Championships in Athletics|1997 Athens]]| [[1997 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 400 metres|400 m]]}}
{{Medal|Gold |[[1999 World Championships in Athletics|1999 Seville]]| [[1999 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 400 metres|400 m]]}}
{{Medal|Bronze |[[1995 World Championships in Athletics|1995 Gothenburg]]| [[1995 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 4 × 400 metres relay|4 × 400 m relay]]}}
{{Medal|Competition|[[Commonwealth Games]]}}
{{Medal|Gold |[[1990 Commonwealth Games|1990 Auckland]]| [[Athletics at the 1990 Commonwealth Games – Women's 4 × 100 metres relay|4 × 100 m]]}}
{{Medal|Gold |[[1994 Commonwealth Games|1994 Victoria]]| [[Athletics at the 1994 Commonwealth Games|200 m]]}}
{{Medal|Gold |[[1994 Commonwealth Games|1994 Victoria]]| [[Athletics at the 1994 Commonwealth Games|400 m]]}}
{{Medal|Gold |[[2002 Commonwealth Games|2002 Manchester]]| [[Athletics at the 2002 Commonwealth Games – Women's 4 × 400 metres relay|4 × 400 m]]}}
{{Medal|Silver |[[1994 Commonwealth Games|1994 Victoria]]| [[Athletics at the 1994 Commonwealth Games|4 × 100 m]]}}
}}

'''Catherine Astrid Salome Freeman''' {{Post-nominals|country=AUS|OAM}} (born 16 February 1973) is an [[Australian people|Australian]] former [[Athletics (sport)|sprinter]], who specialised in the [[400 metres]] event.<ref>{{cite web|date=2021-07-08|title=Cathy Freeman: Running for her people|url=https://www.worldathletics.org/heritage/news/cathy-freeman-olympic-champion-comic-feature|url-status=live|access-date=2021-07-08|website=[[World Athletics]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210708103803/https://www.worldathletics.org/heritage/news/cathy-freeman-olympic-champion-comic-feature |archive-date=8 July 2021 }}</ref> Her personal best of 48.63 seconds currently ranks her as the [[400 metres#All-time top 25 women|ninth-fastest woman of all time]], set while finishing second to [[Marie-José Pérec]]'s number-four time at the [[1996 Summer Olympics|1996 Olympics]].<ref name = WorldAthletics>{{cite web|title=Senior Outdoor 400 Metres Women|url=https://www.worldathletics.org/records/all-time-toplists/sprints/400-metres/outdoor/women/senior|url-status=live|access-date=2021-08-15|website=[[World Athletics]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191112235831/https://www.worldathletics.org/records/all-time-toplists/sprints/400-metres/outdoor/women/senior |archive-date=12 November 2019 }}</ref> She became the Olympic champion for the women's 400&nbsp;metres at the [[2000 Summer Olympics]], at which she had lit the [[Olympic Flame]].<ref>[http://torchrelay.beijing2008.cn/en/archives/modern/2000/headlines/n214035952.shtml TorchRelay – Photos: Cathy Freeman lights the Olympic Flame] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081113115048/http://torchrelay.beijing2008.cn/en/archives/modern/2000/headlines/n214035952.shtml |date=13 November 2008 }}. The Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad.</ref>

Freeman was the first female [[Indigenous Australian]] to become a Commonwealth Games [[gold medal|gold meda]]list at age 16 in 1990.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2012/jan/11/olympic-moments-cathy-freeman |title=50 stunning Olympic moments No9: Cathy Freeman wins gold for Australia |date=11 January 2012 |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |author=John Ashdown}}</ref> The year 1994 was her breakthrough season. At the [[1994 Commonwealth Games]] in Canada, Freeman won gold in both the [[200 metres|200&nbsp;m]] and 400&nbsp;m. She also won the [[silver medal]] at the 1996 Olympics and came first at the [[1997 World Championships in Athletics|1997 World Championships]] in the 400&nbsp;m event. In 1998, Freeman took a break from running due to injury. She returned from injury in form with a first-place finish in the 400&nbsp;m at the [[1999 World Championships in Athletics|1999 World Championships]]. She announced her retirement from athletics in 2003.

In 2007, she founded the Cathy Freeman Foundation, which changed names twice (to Community Spirit Foundation<ref>{{Cite web |title=Our Story |url=https://www.communityspiritfoundation.org.au/our-story-1 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230325060740/https://www.communityspiritfoundation.org.au/our-story-1 |archive-date=2023-03-25 |access-date=2023-05-26 |website=Community Spirit Foundation |language=en}}</ref> and later to Murrup<ref>{{Cite web |title=Murrup {{!}} Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation I home |url=https://www.murrup.org.au/ |access-date=2024-07-25 |website=Murrup |language=en}}</ref>). She is of the Kuku-yalanji and Birri-gubba peoples.<ref>{{cite web|author=Australian Overseas Information Service|title=Olympic athlete Cathy Freeman|url=https://www.naa.gov.au/students-and-teachers/learning-resources/learning-resource-themes/society-and-culture/sport-and-recreation/olympic-athlete-cathy-freeman#:~:text=As%20a%20woman%20of%20the%20Kuku-yalanji%20and%20Birri-gubba,expressed%20her%20pride%20in%20being%20an%20Indigenous%20Australian|website=National Archives of Australia|date=1993|access-date=6 October 2024}}</ref>