Cathy Freeman is an Australian sprinter who is most known for her 400-meter run. She has participated in a variety of other track events throughout her career, but the 400 m was her favorite. She has also been named the eighth-fastest woman of all time. She lighted the Olympic Flame by winning the women’s 400 meters in the Summer Olympics.
She was also the first Indigenous Australian to win a Commonwealth Games gold medal at the age of 16. The Commonwealth Games were held in Canada in 1994 when Cathy Freeman won gold in both the 200 m and 400 m. Her victory at the 1996 Olympics earned her a silver medal, and she finished first in the 400 m event at the 1997 World Championships.
Yes, she retired from sports in 2003, but in 2007, she established the Cathy Freeman Foundation. Here are her top 30 quotations that will motivate you to succeed.
- “You got to try and reach for the stars or try and achieve the unreachable.”― Cathy Freeman
- “When I’m in a bad mood, I don’t listen.”― Cathy Freeman
- “Peace, unity and harmony!”― Cathy Freeman
- “I like looking feminine and I enjoy being a role model. I enjoy being a woman. It all comes down to having the confidence to be who you are.”― Cathy Freeman
- “I was running since I was 10. Since grade one at school people looked at me and thought, oh gosh she can really run, she’s a natural.”― Cathy Freeman
- “People could see in me who I am now, an Olympic champ, the best in the world.”― Cathy Freeman
- “Money makes life easier but I don’t want to be rich, not at all.”― Cathy Freeman
- “I think the greatest amount of pressure is the pressure I place on myself. So in a way I chose to be alone.”― Cathy Freeman
- “Between 1991 and 1997 I had really serious asthma.”― Cathy Freeman
- “I HAVE TIME TO BREATHE, TIME TO BE MYSELF MORE OFTEN, I AM A LOT MORE RELAXED AND LESS GUARDED.”― CATHY FREEMAN
- “I was going to shave it. It went in two parts. I got a bob first but it kept falling all over my face. Then it was off, short. The main reason it was long was because my mother cut it short when I was little and I was trying to make up for that.”― Cathy Freeman
- “I have a friend who, if she has a bad hair day, it affects her whole mood because it is part of her sexuality, her confidence. I don’t have that problem any more.”― Cathy Freeman
- “I don’t like people looking at me; I hate the attention.”― Cathy Freeman
- “I like being in the workforce; it keeps me grounded.”― Cathy Freeman
- “I don’t agree with everything Madonna’s done but she is fearless.”― Cathy Freeman
- “I’m so lucky. I have such a great support system. All I have to do is run.”― Cathy Freeman
- “I don’t have a lot of regrets in my life.”― Cathy Freeman
- “I make no apologies.”― Cathy Freeman
- “This occasion is personally very meaningful and I hope to visit Korea again if I have the chance.”― Cathy Freeman
- “I lie around the floor with my cats Billy and Jazz or watch DVDs with my best friends.”― Cathy Freeman
- “The thing I do best is laugh.”― Cathy Freeman
- “I definitely do things on my terms, it may not seem that way but I actually do.”― Cathy Freeman
- “I was always surrounded by expectation from the very first race I ran as a 5-year-old.”― Cathy Freeman
- “I made my first Australian senior team when I was 16, first Olympics when I was 19, and I retired. I’m 32, I retired four years ago, so a good third of my life or nearly a third of my life has been all about running.”― Cathy Freeman
- “My last real race was at the Olympics in Sydney in 2000.”― Cathy Freeman
- “Australians are a fantastic bunch of people but the attention can be overwhelming for someone like me.”― Cathy Freeman
- “I’m not a marriage expert, quite clearly.”― Cathy Freeman
- “I want to keep my private life private.”― Cathy Freeman
- “WITH ALEXANDER’S CANCER, I WAS DEFINITELY BROUGHT TO MY KNEES FOR THE FIRST TIME BECAUSE OF THE FEAR FACTOR.”― CATHY FREEMAN
- “I feel like I’ve reached an age where I can relax a little bit with the knowledge of what I’ve been through, take all that experience and use it. I love the challenge of trying to get back to where I’ve been, and beyond it.”― Cathy Freeman
