- Australian track star wins 400m gold at Sydney Olympics
- A recent DNA test revealed her true strength as a runner
Australian sporting legend Cathy Freeman has revealed her biggest regret after a DNA test proved she is better suited to endurance racing than sprinting.
Freeman, 51, famously won the 400m final at the 2000 Sydney Olympics but now wonders what might have been had he competed in the 800m.
“After I retired, I realised I had a huge appetite for the 800m, so moving from a one-lap event to a two-lap event,” he said. News Corporation.
‘I would have loved, loved, loved to give the 800m a real go.
“I regret it a little, I would say, and I had never said it publicly before, but now I can accept it because it is in my DNA results.”
Freeman’s victory at Sydney Olympic Park on that famous September night in 2000 was impressive on many levels.
The pressure was immense as the track and field star carried the nation’s hopes on his shoulders before storming to victory.
Speaking on Channel Nine’s Today show on Wednesday, Freeman also had five simple words of advice for Australian stars competing at the Paris Games: “Never forget who you are.”
Australian sporting legend Cathy Freeman has revealed her biggest regret after a DNA test proved she is better suited to endurance racing than sprinting.
Freeman, 51, famously won the women’s 400m final at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, carrying the hopes of the nation on her shoulders.
“(Also) Where you’re from… or who you belong to,” Freeman told co-hosts Karl Stefanovic and Sarah Abo on Wednesday.
“I think that’s very important… it keeps you grounded… there’s a lot of noise, enthusiasm and excitement at the Games… it will make the trip much more memorable.”
Freeman later admitted he will never fully understand the gravity of what he achieved at the Sydney Games.
“The short answer is no,” he said.
‘I’m a barefoot, wood and earth country girl, but certainly all these years later, in my infinite wisdom, I can certainly respect the connection and emotion that stirs in people’s hearts and minds.
‘Competing as an Olympian is truly a gift… and when it came time to race, it was freedom, complete freedom for me.
‘Athletes like me love the Olympic atmosphere, to be honest, but the pressure on me was enormous.
“And for me it was 17 years of preparation, if you take into account all the training and preparation, not just one lap on the track.”