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Defining moment Freeman wins race for her race
There can be no greater golden performance in the 2000 Olympics than that of Cathy Freeman. "Why me? I'm blessed," she said after striding to victory in the women's 400 meters. But for years now she could quite as easily have asked: "Why me? I'm cursed." Such has been the weight of expectation on her slender frame. Not only did Australians consider Freeman their only surefire thing in athletics, the most high profile of Olympic disciplines, but somewhere along the way they believed she could erase the bitter memories of a dubious past. As an Aborigine, "Freeman the Athlete" was also saddled with such tags as "Freeman the Liberator," "Freeman the Diplomat," "Freeman the Unifier." The healing would begin for the hideous treatment of her people down the decades once gold was in her grasp. All in less than sixty seconds.
Somehow, magically, she was meant to make Australia -- and the world beyond -- listen to the plight of the Aborigines. They have occupied the land Down Under for tens of thousands of years. Only around 400,000 remain in a country of 19 million inhabitants, whose oldest ancestors first settled there no more than a couple of centuries ago. The average life expectancy of an Aborigine is said to be 20 years less than the rest of the population. Freeman would stand as a beacon of light for her race by winning a race, becoming the first Aborigine ever to win individual Olympic gold. If only it were that simple. If only it had taken her just one lap of the track to make such a profound statement about racial equality. If only a race could wipe away the fearful years and ceaseless tears. No one person can achieve this, although Freeman can undoubtedly be a symbol of hope. And yet she's had to carry this unrealistic burden for years -- almost from the moment Sydney was awarded the games.
A private, softly-spoken and unassuming character was very quickly the golden girl of a nation in more ways than one. Her life was no longer her own. Training and living in London offered some respite, but not much. The closer the Olympics came, the more she was thrust forward as the figurehead of an Australian nation made up of immigrants from more than 150 nations. It was enormous pressure. More pressure, in fact, than any one person warrants or deserves. It only increased when Freeman was selected for the highest honor of lighting the Olympic cauldron. As she stood in a pool of water and touched the torch to ignite the flame, we were drowning in symbolism. To take all this and run with it, to an Olympic gold no less, is staggering. One of the more magnificent achievements of this or any other Games. "What I symbolize will make a difference to people's attitudes," she said. "I'm pleased I weathered the pressure." Australia hailed her victory as a defining moment for a country ripped asunder by Aboriginal tolerance and reconciliation. Amid the groping for political significance, let us also appreciate how much of a defining moment this was on a personal and sporting level for the ever graceful Cathy Freeman who, first and foremost, pure and simple, is an extraordinary athlete.
Phil Jones is a co-host of "World Sport," the international sports show that airs live on CNN/Sports Illustrated and CNN International.
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