Looking back with the crystal-clear view afforded by a decade of hindsight, Cathy Freeman acknowledges she should have retired straight after winning the 400m gold medal that defined the Sydney Olympics for millions of Australians.
But as hard as that race was to win – especially with the weight of a nation riding on her back – Freeman says the issues that now occupy so much of her time are even more taxing.
Not that she’s complaining.
Far from it.
The Catherine Freeman Foundation was set up with the stated vision of helping young indigenous Australians enjoy the same wellbeing, sense of self-belief and educational opportunities as their peers.
The initial focus of the CFF is Palm Island in far north Queensland, the birthplace of Freeman’s mother.
Speaking in Abu Dhabi ahead of the 2010 Laureus Awards, the 2001 world sportswoman of the year said she had benefited from the advice of other Laureus Academy members such as chairman and former 400m hurdles legend Edwin Moses and tennis star Boris Becker.
“I definitely draw on other people’s energies and I definitely need all the strength I can get,” she said.
“It’s really challenging when you feel so passionately about something, especially with a community like Palm.
“… What I’m a part of now is tougher than anything I’ve ever done.
“This is actually harder than winning an Olympic gold medal because there are so many other processes and systems to understand – whether it’s on a government level or a corporate one.
“It’s about selecting the right people with the right principles and values.
“And it’s about ensuring the people on Palm Island are comfortable about it, the parents and the elders.
“It’s quite diverse now, more than ever.”
Freeman is hopeful that in future years, the foundation’s work can be replicated in other disadvantaged indigenous communities around Australia.
She has also been involved in preliminary discussions with federal sports minister Kate Ellis about how she can help push the benefits of health, nutrition, exercise and wellbeing.
And – in conjunction with the Laureus Academy – Freeman is also lending her support to a new foundation chaired by the wife of the UAE crown prince, aimed at tackling childhood obesity and type-two diabetes.
It’s all a long way from running 400m faster than any other woman on the planet.
But for the former Australian and Young Australian of the Year, it’s a natural progression.
“Elite performers tend to draw on other sources of inspiration, like what I’m doing now,” said Freeman, whose sporting triumphs also include back-to-back 400m world titles in 1997 and 1999 and four Commonwealth Games gold medals.
“So as soon as you are given the opportunity to make that difference, to bring about positive change, you are already on the way before you publicly do it.
“You ask anyone on the academy and they would tell you that staying true to their roots helped them enhance their performances as sportsmen.”
Looking back, Freeman can now see how big a deal it was in 2001 to become the first – and still the only – Australian to be voted the Laureus sportswoman or man of the year.
The significance would have been clearer at the time if she had retired upon winning the most celebrated of Australia’s 16 gold medals at the Sydney Games, after being given the honour of lighting the Olympic cauldron.
To add to the drama, Freeman’s long-time rival and defending champion Marie-Jose Perec had fled Sydney on the eve of the event in mysterious circumstances.
So instead of hanging up her running spikes, Freeman took a year-long sabbatical and then returned to track before finally giving athletics away for good in mid-2003.
“My point is that I was a little bit lost,” she said.
“A lot of people predicted I would retire (straight away).
“It wasn’t just about the running because I was a little bit disappointed with the performance and a lot of that was hingeing on Perec’s non-participation, because I never raced against the clock, I raced against other runners.
“But having said that, when you look at all the other aspects of that win – the meaning, the support, the happiness and the excitement and all the euphoria, I was a little bit in denial.
“I didn’t want to engage and sit back and take a look at the bigger picture, because the big picture was pretty damned big.
“I had to circulate for a little while and get myself back on an even track.”
Freeman, Dawn Fraser and Steve Waugh are the three Australian members of the 46-strong Laureus Academy, all of whom volunteer their time to promote sport as a tool for social change.
Chairman Edwin Moses paid tribute to Freeman for deciding to set up the CFF before also taking on the responsibilities of an academy member.
“When you leave your sport it’s hard to find a replacement,” said the two-time Olympic 400m hurdles champion.
“You have to be very careful and I think she took her time and matured as an individual who is not a competitor any more, which is a completely different type of life.
“It’s something she has been successful at.”
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